What does it take to achieve our goals and dreams?
Achieving goals and dreams is different for almost everyone and can be influenced by our ability to do something or by other people’s points of view. Consider some of your abilities. Are you athletic? Artistic? Are you confident? Do you have patience for friends when they are struggling or great leadership potential? These are all abilities that influence people’s dreams, goals and choices. But sometimes it takes more effort to reach a goal. Suppose that your career goal is to become an architect. First, you would have to accomplish a series of smaller goals, such as getting a college education and applying to architecture firms. Then you would need to compete against other people who have the same dream. Finally, you could reap the benefits of all of your hard work. Sometimes the achievements of others help us believe in our dreams. Take astronauts, for example. Astronauts go on missions aboard spacecraft called shuttles. Their journeys allow them to experience complete weightlessness, the feeling of being in zero gravity! Astronauts need to learn all about the planets and their atmospheres. They learn how the moon is a satellite that orbits, or travels around, the Earth. Without astronauts – and the achievements that they have made – we might never believe that we could become astronauts, too. One way we show our beliefs is with the words we use. Words are powerful. During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, words were seen as a way to create change. Community leaders, such as Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., worked to achieve equal rights for African Americans. King gave speeches, led peaceful protests, and – with pride and dignity – countered remarks made against him. His words echoed his desire for liberties and fairness for all people. Thanks in part to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Civil Rights Act was passed, which caused schools and all public facilities to integrate and put an end to segregation. Today our points of view can have similar effects, so it is important how we view people from other parts of the world. Their customs, languages, and gestures are often very different from ours and sometimes hard for us to recognize. But if we are not discouraged by the differences, we can become positive role models and set good examples of how to be accepting of something we don’t understand right away.
In this unit, you will learn how we can achieve our goals and dreams, how others can influence our dreams, and how our goals and dreams can affect the people and the world around us.
In this unit, you will learn how we can achieve our goals and dreams, how others can influence our dreams, and how our goals and dreams can affect the people and the world around us.