Goals

1. 2 years Community College (Engineering)

2. 4 years University (Engineering)

3. Get a job, acquire steady income

4. Get in better shape, gain 20lbs

5. Patent an invention

6. Go hiking in the Appalachians

7. Take a road trip 300+ miles away

8. Have at least one web design job / week

9. Move into my own house / apt

10. Get a job in the engineering field, start inventing

11. Conquer my anxiety and control my panic attacks





How to accomplish those goals

1. Steps

a. Make an appointment with counselor at the college, discuss financial aid and scholarship opportunities.

b. Fill out necessary paperwork, get money from (a) or grants, jobs, loans, etc.

c. Sign up for classes, purchase books and supplies.

d. Attend classes, do homework, tests, etc.

1. Preventions

a. Anxiety, social and general about being back in school since my anxiety started in high school

b. Money, if I don’t get grants / scholarships I will have to take out a loan which I will then have to be responsible to pay off.

c. Motivation and depression;  What if I do all the work necessary to get into school, and then won’t be able to attend because my anxiety worsens. Will I have to quit like high school and my job?



2. Steps

a. Complete 2 years of Community College to get a feel for the college atmosphere, and to get core classes out of the way.

b. Sign up for a University I would like to attend, same steps for goal 1.

c. Move to college area town, acquire job and residence.

d. Attend classes, graduate.

2. Preventions

a. Have to attend 2 years community college first.

b. Anxiety would be a massive factor in being able to move away from my hometown. As well as completely new people, friends, etc.

c. Same problems as goal 1, anxiety / depression factoring into the motivation to get started could make me procrastinate because of the fear of failure.



3. Steps

a. Apply to places that I would enjoy working at.

b. Create a resume for these potential jobs.

c. Go to job fairs and job markets.

d. Network with people I know, and online, in order to find a potential employer.

e. Attend interview, get a job. Arrive and leave on time.

3. Preventions

a. Anxiety similar to goals 1 and 2. If I get the job will I be able to perform the functions expected of me? What will they think of me if I have to leave early? Will I be able to leave early? If I get fired or quit because of my panic attacks like my last job, will it throw me in another rut? Will people be disappointed in me.

b. The job market is currently limited.  I can be hard to find a job.

c. I feel as though I could be better working for myself, however having structure and direction from a real job could be highly beneficial.




4. Steps

a. Start eating regular meals at regular times. No more late-night junk food snacking.

b. Start regularly exercising various parts of the body.

c. Eat larger portions. Start eating more protein.

4. Preventions

a. Laziness

b. Money for healthier foods, and protein bars, etc.



5. Steps

a. Draw out every aspect of an invention / idea that I have.

b. Research it, research the design, the function, and the market for it.

c. Build a prototype of the device.

d. Submit the patent to a patent office or a service like legal zoom, pay fees.

5. Preventions

a. Money for the patent fees.

b. Money for the prototype.

c. Can fix the two above with a steady income job, save enough up.



6. Steps

a. Get a car that can travel outside of the state.
b. Get enough money to rent a cabin or hotel for a few days.

c. Purchase food, supplies, etc.

d. Pack up, drive to cabin. Stay a week.

e. Bring a friend, go hiking together.

6. Preventions

a. Car will not travel that long of a distance.

b. Not enough money for hotel / supplies.

c. Anxiety about driving long distances.



7. Steps

a. Pick a destination.

b. Drive to said destination, spend a day there.  If it is further than a few hundred miles, rent a hotel for the night.

c. Drive back home.

7. Preventions

a. Gas money.

b. Money for hotel fare if needed.

c. Anxiety about driving long distances. Also, being away from my city / house.



8. Steps

a. Advertise on Craigslist, Facebook, or other social networking and/or advertising sites.

b. Print out and hang up fliers around town.

c. Hand out business cards to people I meet who seem interested in website design.

d. Attend meetups or any other social gathering for people who would need websites developed, or know people who would need sites developed.

e. Create vinyl signs to hang on busy streets that would attract a lot of traffic.

f. Respond to any email I receive, offer good customer service.

8. Preventions

a. Money for the vinyl signs.

b. Possible law against hanging up paper fliers (littering). Could be fined.

c. Unaware of any social gatherings, or have no idea which social gatherings, would be good to meet people who would be interested in my services.



9. Steps

a. Acquire a well paying, stable source of income.

b. Find a place in a nice neighborhood, for a decent amount.

c. Research expenses. Includes electricity, cable, internet, food, etc.

d. Pay for said location, pack up, and move there.

e. Get settled in.

9. Preventions

a. No stable source of income.

b. Anxiety about being on my own. What if I have a panic attack while in my new place? What if I have one of my days where I don’t feel like getting out of bed?

c. Enough income to afford expenses with some left over each month for various savings.



10. Steps

a. Finish school for engineering, get a degree in the field.

b. Apply to various organizations and corporations.

c. Network with people currently in the field, acquire connections.

d. Get dream job.

10. Preventions

a. The same that prevent me from going to college, and getting a standard job.



11. Steps

a. See a therapist.

b. Stay on an appointment track, tell them everything you feel, and don’t hold anything back.

c. Get enough money to afford each session, don’t skip an appointed session.

d. If medicine is prescribed, take it. Do not skip a day, but if you start having bad side effects, consult the therapist.

e. Take the advice the therapist gives, and start putting yourself out in the world. Don’t just listen to what they say, then spend your days inside on the computer.

f. Start applying and pushing yourself. Find a job, go for walks, go to stores, get out of the city, just do something other than sitting in your ‘safe zone’.

g. When things start to look better, don’t stop. When you have bad days, keep going like there’s nothing wrong, eventually this will be a habit. But right now your motivation is nothing, and it will be hard to break that.

11. Preventions

a. Anxiety about taking medicine. What if it messes with my mind and my anxiety will be worse off than it was?  What if I won’t be the same person I was before? What if something bad happens from it?

b. Money to keep going to the sessions, Though I should be able to afford it and if not I could always ask parents for money as a last resort.

c. Motivation to get up early for the appointments and drive across the city to the offices where they are held.

d. Motivation to keep going when things are good or bad. Usually when things are going good I just stop assuming it’s over. When things are bad I spend all day in bed thinking about how my life has turned awful.

e. Complete and utter terror about combating my anxiety. My usual plan is to just back down, or go back home and hide in my room until it’s over. I’ve never fought through anything like this, and I don’t know if I can. But if I don’t, when will it ever end?