Anne Courtright - Reaching Your Goals: The Ultimate Teen Guide

It Happened to Me

Series Editor: Arlene Hirschfelder

Books in the It Happened to Me series are designed for inquisitive teens digging for answers about certain illnesses, social issues, or lifestyle interests. Whether you are deep into your teen years or just entering them, these books are gold mines of up-to-date information, riveting teen views, and great visuals to help you figure out stuff. Besides special boxes highlighting singular facts, each book is enhanced with the latest reading lists, websites, and an index. Perfect for browsing, these books contain loads of expert information by acclaimed writers to help parents, guardians, and librarians understand teen illness, tough situations, and lifestyle choices.

1. Epilepsy: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay and Sean McGarrahan, 2002.

2. Stress Relief: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Mark Powell, 2002.

3. Learning Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins Paquette and Cheryl Gerson Tuttle, 2003.

4. Making Sexual Decisions: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by L. Kris Gowen, 2003.

5. Asthma: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins Paquette, 2003.

6. Cultural DiversityConflicts and Challenges: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2003.

7. Diabetes: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Katherine J. Moran, 2004.

8. When Will I Stop Hurting? Teens, Loss, and Grief: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Dealing with Grief, by Ed Myers, 2004.

9. Volunteering: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2004.

10. Organ TransplantsA Survival Guide for the Entire Family: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Tina P. Schwartz, 2005.

11. Medications: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cheryl Gerson Tuttle, 2005.

12. Image and IdentityBecoming the Person You Are: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by L. Kris Gowen and Molly C. McKenna, 2005.

13. Apprenticeship: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins Paquette, 2005.

14. Cystic Fibrosis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Melanie Ann Apel, 2006.

15. Religion and Spirituality in America: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2006.

16. Gender Identity: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cynthia L. Winfield, 2007.

17. Physical Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Denise Thornton, 2007.

18. MoneyGetting It, Using It, and Avoiding the Traps: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Robin F. Brancato, 2007.

19. Self-Advocacy: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cheryl Gerson Tuttle and JoAnn Augeri Silva, 2007.

20. Adopted: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Suzanne Buckingham Slade, 2007.

21. The Military and Teens: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2008.

22. Animals and Teens: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Gail Green, 2009.

23. Reaching Your Goals: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Anne Courtright, 2009.

24. Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kelly Rouba, 2009.

The Ultimate Teen Guide

ANNE COURTRIGHT

Illustrations by Peg Raasch

It Happened to Me, No. 23

SCARECROW PRESS, INC.

Published in the United States of America

by Scarecrow Press, Inc.

A wholly owned subsidiary of

The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.

4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706

www.scarecrowpress.com

Estover Road

Plymouth PL6 7PY

United Kingdom

Copyright 2009 by Anne Courtright

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

All illustrations on chapter opening pages are by Peg Raasch.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Courtright, Anne, 1941

Reaching your goals : the ultimate teen guide / Anne Courtright; illustrations by Peg Raasch.

p. cm. (It happened to me ; no. 23)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-5572-4 (cloth : alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 0-8108-5572-0 (cloth : alk. paper)

1. SuccessPsychological aspects. 2. Imagery (Psychology) 3. Visualization. I. Raasch, Peg. II. Title.

BF724.3.S9C68 2009

155.5'138dc22

2008042229

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America.

For Maa,
and for my husband, Robert,
and my kids, Tony, Annie, Mark, Lizzy, and Chrissy
with great love.

Along my journey in writing Goals, I have had the privilege of walking with many significant friends, all who have helped me in their own unique way.

First I want to thank the dearest of friends and illustrator for this book, Peg Raasch (who never gave up hope this book would be finished some day). I must thank Tina Schwartz for introducing me to Scarecrow. Who can forget that cold winters day in New York when you introduced me to Arlene, my future editor? (You also shared so many of my high and low moments, always with a cheerful smile.) I would also like to thank all of my other SCBWI (Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators) buddies, including the following: Esther, one of my first mentors, youve always so gracious to me (Thanks!); Heidi, celestial!; Lorijo, who spent many hours editing my edits (even up to the end you have been there for me); Denise, always encouraging even though you knew how much work was involved; Suzanne, thanks for your personal insights and examples of how you handled similar problems; Hal, my inspiration on how to be inspired; Mary Beth (your enduring spirit touches me); Ilyse, Dawn, Whimsey, Jeff, Shawn, Chris, Pam, and the other mad-ones from Ready Writers (my hat is off to you ruthless writers!); Mary, one of the first guides who believed in me, and your ever-faithful writers group including, Laurel, Susan, and some of my other above mentioned pals (you were all my first editors who helped me to reach higher); and Laurie Korte (who gave me the lovely opportunity to share my art with her students); Deepti, who I am indebted to because you did an amazing job on the graphics; and Natalia B. (you are so talented!).

I also want to thank Frank and Shirley, two of my oldest friends, and a very special person, Marlene who shared her pals, including Trish, MaryAnn, Mini, Francine, Nina, Joan, and Linda (sisters in spirit who bring me so much joy!) and the unselfish reader, Libby, Janice and Mary among others in my critique groups. You guys are so cool!

I also would like to thank all of the young adults who have come from far away points such as India (thanks, Sukruthi), Japan (thanks, Himi!), and Paris (thanks, Aurelie!). Thanks to you, one and all, including: Kalpita Ainapure, Cheryl Barnes, Olga Berger, Natalia Bulsza, Becca Courtright, Joachim Courtright, Pearl Courtright-Shucow, Erin Courtright, Victor Courtight, Ellie Crouch, Preeti Deshpande, Annie Dolbeau, Martin Eagan, Aurelie Epie, Evon Ford, Ivy Ford, Tyler Freeman, Alex Goodman, Whitney Freeman, Rahul Gorawara, Sunjay Gorowara, Samuel Gray, Della Hansmann, Keela J. Hansmann, Sukruthi Jois, Kate Leaver, Neha Manchade, Georgia Metz, Josh Metz, Jay Miller, Stepen Naidu, Chrissy Nottoli, Mark Nottoli, Lorenzo Nottoli, Nicholas Nottoli, Victor Pacini, Amy Palace, Gina Polozzi, Aurora Roeker, Max Schewitz, Kayla Schultz, Tina Schwartz, Shelby Shrake, Chuck Skinnman, William Starsiac, Panjri Shukla, Himika Tanaka, and Carreen Toland.