Dear Freshman Women,
You are beautiful, you are loved and YOU. ARE. PRICELESS. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are not worth the time, the patience or the energy. Don’t let society, the world around you or your peers tell you that you are too curvy, skinny or fat. Never let people make you feel different or worthless because your religion or skin color is not the norm. You are who you are, and you should be okay with that, despite what anyone else says. You are far from worthless; you were meant to be on this earth for a greater purpose, so go forth and make the world the place that it needs to be! Society can be such a restrictive community, but you should not believe the lies it tries to feed you.
Every day, I want you to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are strong, you are cherished and that there are people out there who accept and care for you, just the way you are. You never need to change for anyone, except for yourself, if you choose, as we complete this terrifying and wonderful journey at Wake Forest University. It won’t be easy, I know, and some days the lies will build up in your head, and you will release all of them out in your tears as you cry yourself to sleep that night. Some days you will love your body, and some days you will hate it. Overtime, by boosting yourself up daily, you will learn to love yourself for who you are, but it is okay not to love yourself so much some days. Others will try to bring you down, because they see you as weak and vulnerable; because you are just a “young freshman woman.”
Work hard to exceed their expectations, and let those go in your life who are not helping you to reach your full potential in mind and body. Take time to be alone sometimes and to work on being the best person you can be. Smile a little, laugh a little and cry a little. Just live life the way you want; worry free from external pressures. Try new things, meet new people and never stop yourself short from all the wonderful adventures and friendships that life has to offer you because of your fear. Embrace the joys and the stresses of life, and take time to look around you; at the beautiful world that is offered to us each and every single day. You will make mistakes along the way, but just know that despite the various L’s (losses) that you take on a weekly basis, you can learn from every one of them. Don’t let the little things in life get you down; life is too short to be boggled down by trivial matters. Lastly, just remember, every day that the sun rises and is a new, brighter day!
I will leave you all with a quote from Ellen DeGeneres: “The world is full of a lot of fear and a lot of negativity, and a lot of judgement. I just think people need to start shifting into joy and happiness”.
All the best,
Sam Smart
Photo courtesy of: http://www.sunsigns.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/smart-woman.jpg