Begin with the end in mind. This is a truism. Begin with what you want to accomplish and you are more likely to accomplish it.
Some history
I have always wanted to be a teacher and have been a teacher for a good portion of my life. My teaching experiences range from toddlers to senior adults, from biology to rhetorical history, from homeschooling to public university. I have been teaching, in one form or another, for 39 years.
Over the last six years, I have had several mid-life crisis periods. I have wondered if I am a good teacher, if I should have done something else with my life.
I have sometimes despaired because, despite my concerted and diligent efforts to be the best, I am not the best teacher nor the most beloved (which somehow somewhat equates in my mind).
New Beginning
Each semester offers me as a teacher (and our students) a new beginning. We can start over and be all that we can be or at least make a new attempt.