Ideals

Isabella Jimenez
Kairos XLI

Each of us have goals that we like to pursue in our life. All of our goals
are different but I believe that at least one of our goals is to graduate from
high school and go off to college. Other goals for people are to win a sports
championship or to start family when theyre older. These goals come from
our values, which lead to our ideals. An ideal is a value, desire, or goal, which
motivates us to channel our time, energy, and effort toward its achievement.
We gain a clearer understanding of ourselves, as well as our values as we
grow up. Our values and goals may not be the same as when we were
younger but they show who we are. The ideals we have are sorted through
short-term ideals, long-term ideals, and Christian ideals but they all play a
specific role in our lives.
Short-term ideals affect the way we live on a daily basis. A short-term
ideal is like a New Years resolution where you have a goal set for the year.
Short-term ideals may not seem important but they are. As I said before, I
believe that everyones short-term ideals (including myself) are to graduate
from high school and to be accepted into college. Some of my other shortterm ideals are to get good grades each semester, have a positive outlook on
life, and to respect others. These goals come from what I value. I value
education and dedication. Even though I may not like having to study for
tests and do homework, I want to have an education that will help me in the
future. I have become more dedicated to my studies as I matured through
high school and I try to get the best grades I can. I also value positivity and

respect. Even though we may have some bad days, its better to look at the
brighter side of your day.
My grandmother has taught me that. She always looked after me from
when I was a little baby. She fed me, took me to the store with her, and
basically spoiled me. Early freshmen year, I began to realize that my
grandma hadnt been home and she was taken to the doctors office several
times. In October 2012, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma, which
is a type of blood cancer. I felt confused, scared, and worried. She was my
only grandmother and I was not ready to lose her. My family gave her so
much motivation to beat cancer. We even made a sign that said Si se
puede which is Spanish You can do it. At one point she did beat cancer
and we were overjoyed and ecstatic for her. She was happy that she was
able to be with us again and away from the hospital. Just when my family
and I thought everything was fine, her cancer returned in late April 2013.
This took a huge toll on my family. Later one she was not able to speak or
move and she was in pain. It hurt us to see our grandmother like that; she
was in so much pain and not able to do anything about it. On May 29, 2013
my grandmother passed away. She was not able to see her grandson
graduate from elementary school, her granddaughter graduate from high
school, and her other granddaughter, who was the first granddaughter to
graduate from college. Also she was not able to see the birth of another little
Jimenez. It was so different without my grandmother around and deeply
impacted my family. I did know in my heart though, that my grandmother
was watching over my family and I as our guardian angel.

After my grandmother passed away, I began to have a more positive

outlook on life. She had always taught me to be strong, confident, and to
always be happy and thankful for the life I live. My family and I were
encouraged to look at everything in a positive way and not in a negative way.
She would tell us not to worry about things and that everything would get
better in the end and many times, it usually did.
Besides valuing positivity, I believe that everyone should be treated
with respect no matter what. Even though we may not have a great
relationship with another person, it is better to show them respect then to
have a conflict with them. When we were freshmen, we probably did not
have as many goals as we do now. I think that some of our short-term ideals
were to make as many friends as possible and get through our first set of
finals. Throughout high school we begin to challenge ourselves and face
obstacles that are outside of our comfort zone. These challenges have lead
to new and bigger goals such as our short-term ideals. Our short-term ideals
affect how we act in life and they motivate our decisions.
Our short-term ideals are also supported by our long-term ideals. Longterm ideals take continuous time and effort and affect the way we live our
lives for a long period of time. These long-term ideals, also known as longterm goals, occur in maybe five, ten, or twenty years but they require much
work. I believe that all of our long-term ideals enable us to be successful. My
long term ideals are to graduate from college, find a well paying job, travel
the world, get married, and start a family. These long-term ideals will take
some time to be completed. These long-term goals are also important for a

career and careers last your whole working life. Long-term goals help you
think about the education you need and they help you think about the jobs
you want in the future. Sometimes you have to ask yourself questions about
your long-term ideals. Some questions to ask yourself are: What is your
dream job? Where do you want to end up living? Do you see yourself having
children in the future and if so how many? Is there something that you feel
so strongly about that you want to dedicate your life to? These questions
might make you feel overwhelmed but they will help you decide what you
want your long- term ideals to be. Your long-term ideals may seem
impossible to accomplish, but if you set your time and effort to them, then
they will come true.
In order to accomplish our goals, we need Jesus in our lives, which is
why we have our Christian ideals. Christian ideals stem from the life and
teachings of Jesus Christ. This is basically selfless love. We cannot achieve
selfless love without the help of Jesus. The ideals that motivate us to follow
the teachings of Christ are faith, hope, and love. The ideal of faith allows us
to believe through God-given reason. The ideal of hope allows us to long and
desire for an eternal life with God. The ideal of love allows us to put the
teachings of Christ into practice through the love of God and through the
love of our neighbor. Our belief and trust in God, our goal of eternal life, and
love motivates us to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. My Christian ideals
are to make my relationship with Jesus stronger and to live by his teachings.
In order to set these ideals, I value equality, love, and gratitude. These
values I have learned from my family, friends, and of course Jesus. He has

taught me that everyone is to be treated equal and that no one should be

left out. He has taught me to love my neighbor as I love God, to love my
family and friends, and to love myself. He has taught me to be grateful for
what I have such as my education, my health, my family, and my friends.
This is my third time on Kairos and I am determined to grow closer to you my
fellow classmates as I did on the past Kairos, but especially to grow stronger
with Jesus.
All the ideals we have change as we mature. We need our ideals
because without them we are aimless. Our ideals give direction, meaning,
and purpose to our lives. They help us with our decision-making and open
our eyes to new opportunities. Although our ideals may take some time and
effort, they will come true. If you become devoted to your ideals and show
that you have the passion, then they will be accomplished. On the paper in
front of you, there is a tree that symbolizes your values, ideals, and
accomplishments. Our values are our roots that create the tree. Our ideals
are our foundation and the trunk of the tree, which connects to the top. Our
values and ideals then lead to our accomplishments, which will take time and
patience. Ideals are not merely dreams, they must be related to reality some
way so take on challenges, set your goals high, and your ideals will guide you
on the right path to success.