Varsity Finish Line
Hello Dance Fam! I hope this post finds you well. I am alright, just the usual life-ing. I’m just a semester away from finally completing my undergrad studies and I definitely wanted to share with you my top five lessons I have learned throughout my college experience. So here we go:
1. Your friendships will evolve! Allow them to!
The crew I rolled with when I first started college is not the same crew I roll with now. My squad has evolved with the changes I have made in my life. I have learned to allow this process to occur organically and this has made the friendships that I have now a lot more meaningful. This change seems to occur naturally throughout your time in college when you start to discover who you truly are. Your likes, your dislikes, what makes you tick and what can set you off at a moment’s provocation. It’s normal! Allow it! And go with the flow.
2. Unapologetically walk away from anyone & anything that drains your spark!
Oh but this has been the most freeing lesson yet! I have quit “situationships,” jobs and friendships that were just no longer working for me. I’m a people’s person and I thrive through contact and interaction. This, however, does not mean I have to nor should I, put up with unnecessary negative energy in my life. Fear of not being liked is something I have overcome thanks to my college years. Protecting my space and happy has become a lot more important than being loved by everyone and honey, I’m I not a lot happier for it! Of course, don’t go out of your way to get on people’s last nerves but don’t you dare fret when you don’t get along with everyone.
3. Award second chances worthily!
We all know the saying, “Once bitten, twice shy,” so why gamble with getting hurt, time and time again? Listen, no one’s perfect. We all make mistakes, ourselves included and we’d all like a second chance to redeem ourselves once we’ve messed up. However, there are moments that only require you to forgive, forget and move on. It’s as simple as that. Sometimes people come into your life to teach you a lesson. That doesn’t mean you should let them keep ‘repeating’ that lesson. Once is enough. Learn it, wise up and grow from it. But then there are the few times when you should allow those people back into your life. It’s said that the people closest to us have the power to hurt us the most and I’ve learned this to be true. And so my reader, pray! Pray for the gift of discernment. So that you may learn who to let go of and who to love unconditionally, in spite of their shortcomings!
4. Pray for everything!
I am one of those people who tend to worry a lot when things aren’t going right. Not necessarily when things aren’t going my way or anything of that sort but I like order in my life. It gives me a sense of calmness. So you can only imagine the amount of anxiety that I struggle with when things go array. But I found a coping mechanism. Anytime I feel like I’m going crazy, I stop and take a moment, take a deep breath and say a short prayer. Usually, something along the lines of “Lord Jesus, give me inner peace.” This has given me so much tranquility in moments I would typically get hyperacidity over. I am so at peace with myself that regardless of what is going on around me, I always find a sense of assurance that it will all be alright. So pray, my friend. Pray for everything. And pray about everything. God is ever faithful.
5. Plan for the future now!
Don’t wait to finish college to start figuring out where your life is headed. Start while in college and experiment with a few ideas. I started my dance career while in college and I am in awe at how much I’ve managed to accomplish despite having to juggle it with books. Learn to work towards your goals early on. Set weekly, monthly, yearly goals and actively work towards them. You eventually start to knock each one down and each new achievement fuels you to work towards the next. I guarantee you this habit will go a long way towards helping you transition into the work life after school. Not to mention you’ll probably have discovered what you’re passionate about by the time you’re graduating, saving you from getting stuck in a dead end job that you absolutely hate. So plan, work, accomplish!
I hope that by sharing my college life lessons I have helped give a fresh perspective to some of life’s tricky and often messy situations. I know there’s no life manual but these 5 lessons have helped guide me and I’m sure they’ll do the same for you if you give them a try. Personally, college was such a rollercoaster ride with both ups and downs. But I must say, it was incredible! I have made forever friends and created memories that will surely last me a lifetime. If I could do it all over again, I really would (quite the opposite of my high school experience but that’s a story for another day). As I wind up with school these last few weeks I have left, I can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
I came, I learned, I danced, I loved and I am better for it!
Looking forward to the next chapter of my life. With God’s grace, I am certain I will conquer it!
