I grew up on a working cattle ranch in South Texas, where hard work shaped both my work ethic and my resilience. I was so small when I first learned to ride that even our children’s saddle was too large for me, so my uncle had one custom-made to ensure I could “ride a horse proper.” Before I was old enough to attend school, I had already participated in 20-mile cattle drives, moving livestock between pastures and crossing the Nueces River on horseback, before I knew how to swim. While that probably says a lot about my parents’ sink or swim approach to child-rearing, my first unwritten goal in life was simple: don’t fall off.
With brothers a decade older than me, I was well acquainted with academic and athletic opportunities afforded through my small but rigorous school. My educational aspirations began before my formal education did as I set three early goals for myself that served as my compass, and twelve years later, I had achieved them all. Setting those goals and stating them out loud taught me the value of commitment, accountability, and the power of achieving long-term ambitions through incremental progress.
Two decades later, leadership development programs introduced me to the practice of writing lifetime goals across both personal and professional domains with shorter-term corresponding objectives. That exercise became a roadmap for my personal life and ultimately for my career in research administration. Those also helped me recognize the importance of tradeoffs and prioritization. I committed not only to lifetime goals but to establishing annual objectives, tracking progress, and revisiting priorities each year. I still have that initial worksheet on which those lifetime goals are scribed.
In the early 1980s, as a new mother and community volunteer, my primary focus was family. Although I stayed home with my children, I held onto the aspiration of pursuing advanced education and eventually returning to the workforce. When I became a single head of household, I reassessed my priorities and brought career development to the forefront. I shared with others my intention to earn a doctorate, even though the nearest PhD program in my field was over 200 miles away. I could see in their eyes that many were skeptical of my lofty aspirations.
With only a bachelor’s degree and limited access to graduate programs, I advocated persistently for the creation of a local master’s program in my discipline at a nearby university and became one of its first graduates. Completing that degree in two years while running a small business and raising children reinforced my belief in structured goal-setting. Although my initial aspiration was to become a university professor, a 1994 opportunity at Texas A&M University–Kingsville led me into research administration, a profession I quickly realized was the right fit for me.
Earning a doctorate required another pivot. Through a distance-learning cohort at Texas A&M University in College Station, I was able to continue my education while working full-time. I approached my doctoral studies with a detailed plan, completing coursework and campus residency requirements in four years and defending my dissertation the following year. Hearing my advisor address me as “Dr. Sedwick” marked the fulfillment of a goal I had first imagined as a college sophomore twenty years earlier.
As my professional horizons expanded, I recognized that opportunities for growth in South Texas were limited. Encouraged by colleagues at the University of Oklahoma, I applied for a pre-award director position there. Shortly after I arrived, the vice president who hired me stepped down. While initially unnerving, the transition proved immensely fortuitous. The new vice president enthusiastically supported my professional advancement, the professional development of research administration staff and engagement with the Council on Governmental Relations and the Federal Demonstration Partnership. I benefitted greatly from his mentorship that modeled thoughtful, inclusive leadership. Luck truly is the intersection of preparation and opportunity.
I later expanded my career goal to include leading research administration at an Association of American Universities (AAU) institution which led to the University of Texas at Austin, where, fittingly, longhorns (more cattle) once again became part of my story. I worked to build an exceptional leadership team, and together we built capacity and professionalism, restored staff confidence, integrated pre- and post-award operations, established a career ladder that rewarded professional certification and secured space to co-locate teams. While I brought the vision, it was our collective effort that made the transformation possible.
Having achieved my career goals, I quasi-retired and transitioned into consulting. This allowed me to rebalance my priorities and devote more time to my health and family. Throughout my journey, written goals and annual reflection on my milestone progress kept me grounded and focused on what truly mattered. Awards and recognition were never the objective; those were the byproducts of building strong relationships and helping others succeed.
Written goals played a critical role in my success. Research conducted years ago first validated the importance of goal-setting on achievement. That seminal study found that writing down goals increases the likelihood of achieving them by 42 percent. Sharing those goals with others can further strengthen accountability (Matthews, 2007) and increase the likelihood of attainment of those goals. There is even physiological evidence suggesting that writing specific, aspirational goals activates the brain’s ability to help us recognize opportunities aligned with our ambitions (Moruzzi, G., & Magoun, H. W., 1949). Written goals have served as a quiet but powerful guide and lodestar for my career aspirations.
I share this journey hoping it inspires others to reflect on and write down your own aspirations. Think about what you want to achieve over the course of your lifetime. There are no wrong answers, and the process is deeply personal. Once you have clarity, identify three objectives for each goal that you can accomplish within the next year to move you closer to achieving that vision. Commit your goals to writing and share them with someone who will support you and hold you accountable.