As my sophomore year comes to a close, I’ve taken the time to reflect on how I got here.
Throughout my last two years of high school, I went through an up and down emotional depression. I had great friends and a loving family, but I always had trouble with loving myself. I would break down in tears too often and question my purpose on this Earth. I definitely made a lot of questionable decisions, and when the consequences surfaced, I had no one to blame but myself.
I looked at Hampton as a new start. There were few people that knew me already and I wanted to reinvent myself, as most college students do. However, as my time went on, I found myself falling into the same cycle of mistakes that I made back home. One day I came across an Instagram post by the popular author R. H. Sin, that said, “Confirmation: If you want something different, you have to stop accepting what you’re used to.” That may seem like common sense to some, but when I tell y’all that post spoke VOLUMES to me.
I’m a stubborn person, I can admit that. I don’t like to listen to anyone but myself, and even when I ask for others’ opinions, I just want confirmation for what I was already going to do. But realizing that I have to put out what I want to receive, that I can’t keep surrounding myself by the same negative energy, that everyone is NOT worth my time and space. These were lessons I needed to learn.
Every mistake you make is a lesson. We’ve been told that all our lives, but how often do you take the time to reflect on your mistakes and acknowledge how it’s made you a better person in the long run? Do you play scenarios out in your head of things you could’ve done differently? I’ve had to learn that my past mistakes do not define me. Who I was a year ago is not who I am today. I am constantly growing, constantly changing, and constantly bettering myself. Don’t become caught up in your old self; think about the impact you want to make, and work toward that.