Finals are finished and the summer has already snuck up on me. After seriously take deep relaxation and catching up on sleep lost during finals week, its time to evaluate what I want to do this summer. I normally coast through summer with no defined goals and things to accomplish.

Sure everyone has the basics; like saving money, travel and to leave with memorable and fun times, maybe complete summer school. For many college students, the summer can be the perfect launch pad for the near future. With a surplus of free time, summer goals can help position yourself to reach and accomplish your big long term goals for the next couple years . I plan to use this summer to experiment in practicing lifestyle design, along with goals to making a better, newer, stronger version of myself. So here are a few of my goals to accomplish this summer….in no particular order.

• Build solid relationships with new people, and enhance present relationships
• Meditate 15 minutes each morning
• Thoroughly read and study 1 book a week – expand my library
• Find an ideal apartment/condo downtown or in midtown, near Sac State
• Experience Yosemite
• Watch David Beckham and the LA Galaxy play live
• Continue building my website
• Maintain work out regimen, 3 times a week
• Learn to play the acoustic guitar
• Practice and improve my Spanish
• Revamp and restart the Financial Fraternity
• Get published in a newspaper and magazine
• Find more mentors and meet new influential people
• Start savings for my 2010 South Africa trip for the World Cup
• Attend 3 seminars

Definitely take the time, preferably with a good friend or a goal buddy, and map out clearly defined goals to accomplish this summer. Goals do not have to be serious and all business; make goals to have fun and experience enjoyable times with good people. Become a better, faster, stronger version of yourself by making goals to have a kick-ass summer.

I will be posting my progress of certain goals throughout the summer. Chances are, I will be constantly adding more goals to the list as during my summer encounters.

For those addicted to their iPod like me, you must check out the iTunes U section inside the iTunes Store. You have access to thousands of interviews, lectures, and speeches from colleges and universities all over the country; from Stanford and Berkeley to Duke and Yale. You can download from all subjects too, whether it be Business and Entrepreneurship, History, or Psychology. These are full and jam packed of information too, with hour and half lectures and even videos.

Personally, I love to download these lectures and sync it to my iPod, and its listen to them whenever, especially while I try to fall asleep. If you get a little bored of your current classes at school, or just enjoy listening to lectures on interesting topics, check out iTunes U.

Browsing through blogs, I found a interesting topic from FOBlog – A Student’s Entrepreneurial Journey, about starting his semester of college off on the right foot. I must admit, even though I still maintained to make the honors list and earn good grades, I found myself lacking in essential skills to maximize my education experience. I have finished my general ED in 3 semesters, and now have a full semester to fill with classes of my personal interests before I transfer. Loaded with fun classes, and working only 20 hours a week compared to 40+ last semester, I have jotted down a few goals and guidelines for this semester.

• Turn in Assignments a day early – After reading the 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss, I will achieve better time management by aiming to be productive instead of busy. So a new mind trick I am going to play is to just give myself less time to complete assignments, as it seems I produce way more on assignment or essay when I have a matter of hours left compared to a matter of days to complete it. Plus, by getting these assignments out of the way, I gain more personal time.
• Get my money’s worth and Take advantage of the professors – This is one aspect of college that I always regret after each semester. Depending on whether your professor is awesome and enlightening, or just hates teaching and ruins the subject for you, I want to make more connections and build relationships with the professors I fancy. Especially with this semester jam-packed of subjects that interest me, I am looking forward to putting more effort towards asking the professors questions, hang out for a bit after class, and take advantage of the wealth of knowledge these people can potentially offer.
• Read the text….. daily and nightly – This is also due to boring subjects that just don’t appeal to me, but that’s still a pathetic excuse. If I’m gonna get financially gang-banged by overpriced textbooks, I am gonna read them and enhance the lectures with the reading. I always seem to replace textbook reading with my personal reading, but I plan to balance the two together this semester.
• Pack my lunches, save some money – I am going to wake up just 10 minutes earlier each morning and make some snacks, hey, maybe even make myself a sandwich, to bring with me to school. I spend, specifically waste, about 5 dollars a day on a Sobe and French fries. Save money, eat fruit and be more healthy.
• Make more authentic relationships – I always try to find at least one or two people in each class that I relate to and or create an authentic friendship with. By “authentic” friendship, I mean not just a guy I will BS with before or during class, but a mutually beneficial relationship. Study partner, a friend or partner that will push me in the right direction, and grow an authentic relationship that can grow for the years to come.

Those are the goals of this spring semester, and I’ll post updates to track how I am exhibiting these goals. Any suggestions? Any goals of your own for your semester or new endeavor in life?