What I Learned First Quarter
It’s what life’s all about right? One learning experience after the other. When you grow up you just accumulate moments that take you by surprise and they either hurt you or reward you. You can decide to change who you are by your actions and thoughts. That’s the beauty of it all. They say you can’t control everything, and you truly can’t, but what you can control is your outlook and the energy you give off to the world. No matter what the universe hands you, you can take your experiences and you let it set the foundation for the path you move forward on.
The first thing I learned is that everyone’s life is very complicated. Some may be more complicated than others and that’s normal. I guess it was a wake up call to finally hear about people’s stories and their home life to find that their difficulties could never compare to my own. Not to say they were better or worse, but they were surely different. It made me feel that I was not alone in the struggles I was facing, and that they were just a part of life. The suburbs I lived in created this veil that hid all of that. Everyone always seemed to be ok. No one ever admitted that there was something wrong, and if they ever did they moved on because everyone else just moved on. Trust me, I was definitely guilty of this. I assumed the people around me had this nice life where everyone was always content with where they were, so in turn I put on a facade of always being ok.
In college it is so easy to open up to others when they have no clue who you were back home or how you grew up. People opened up to me a lot more easily too because I had no preconceived idea of who they were, or who they were supposed to be. Of course there are some personal things you may not want to share but being open to a certain degree will create a trusting and secure atmosphere. I no longer had to hold back when I talked about myself and where I came from. For once people saw who I really was, and it felt good. What I learned from this is to never be ashamed of yourself or be scared to talk because the parts you hide builds into stress and anxiety. It’s easier to cope when you have people there to cope with you.
Another thing I learned is that procrastination and laziness is God’s way of stopping us from conquering the world. It is so easy to put something aside, but it’s even easier to forget until the pressure to get it done is so immense that you just want to curl up into a ball and forget it. For next quarter I’ll be on top of everything. Trust me, I had to learn the hard way this time. A quote I read said something along the lines of “If you wake up every morning thinking you get to do something rather than having to, it might change how much you get done”. Put your work first, take breaks, don’t spread yourself to thin, and whatever time you have left should be used to explore, let loose, listen to good music, watch some life changing movies, make connections with other human beings, and…sleep. Make sure you plan everything out, and believe it or not your environment will alter your state of mind. So if it’s as something as simple as making your work space cozy or putting on something that will make you feel like you need to be productive, then do it.
One major learning lesson I discovered this first quarter is to be kind and strong. What does this even mean? It means that you should smile at the people who walk by you, even if they do not smile back. It means that you should try and make conversation with that person who asks you how your day is. It means that no matter how negative everyone is around you, you still show compassion towards others. Be friendly even if the world is being mean. Take the first initiative in creating new connections because if we sit and wait around for people to come into our lives, we’ll wait forever. Do not let this friendliness be used against you. Beware of those who will take advantage and step on you. Be strong in the sense that you do not give into everything that people tell you. This is how you give off good energy and trust me, the reward is worth the work you put in.
Lastly, please pretty please do not compare yourself. Just stop. We are all in insanely different situations. We have all made different choices that got us to where we were are today. The world affects us in different ways. We face hardships in our own ways and some people endure a lot more than others. I’ve come across quotes that say there will always be people prettier, wealthier, and more intelligent than you. It’s true. Let them live their life, and you live your own. What matters is how you feel about yourself and where you stand. If you want more, work for it. But if you are not missersble, if you are content, and your way of life is working for you then simply be satisfied with yourself. Aprreciate. It’s not too hard.
