It’s almost here. The beloved, long sought after LDOC. So near you can almost taste the freedom, smell the liberation. But the joyous celebration of LDOC also brings with it the strife and turmoil of finals. And papers. And presentations. The semester may be coming to a close, but our stressors are far from over.
To combat my end-of-semester schoolwork blues, I found this article of 22 inspiring quotes on life from my favorite female heroes.
Here are my favorites:
1. “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott
Our favorite author of Little Women out here serving realness. No matter what struggles you face, at the end of the day, you come out more equipped to deal with whatever life throws at you.
2. “Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.” – Helen Keller
I don’t know about you, but I don’t necessarily consider my schoolwork as beautiful, but Helen is still speaking some truth: our hard work is never wasted. All effort matters, and, at the end of the day, our work ethic is more meaningful than any final product!
3. “One of the lessons I grew up with was to always stay true to yourself and never let what somebody says distract you from your goals.” – Michelle Obama
Michelle, how we miss you. Michelle never fails to give our daily dose of motivation. Here, she reminds us to value our goals above all else and never give into the naysayers! Never give anyone the satisfaction of seeing you give up on your passion.
4. “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
We’ve all been there, and Eleanor feels for us. But nevertheless, she gives the hard truth: there is no use in complaining about a situation when we can instead take action. When times really get tough, we know that the princess has to save herself in this one. In the end, she is the only one strong enough.
5. “Done is better than perfect.” – Sheryl Sandberg
This is especially comforting to hear. Around this time of year, it is so easy to succumb to the pitfalls of perfectionism. But at the end of the day, the most we can ask of ourselves is effort and intention. It’s okay to pride ourselves on our ability to get the job done. Life isn’t perfect, and neither are we.
6. “There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It’s why you were born.” – Oprah Winfrey
THIS. Every woman on this campus should hear this. Oprah is reminding us that we are here for a reason. Our studies, our work, our efforts – all of it makes up our calling, and it is our privilege and our responsibility to adhere to this calling in any capacity that we can. We are walking testaments to potential. We should bear this with pride.
7. “Love yourself first, and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball
This is why I LOVE LUCY! In order to face our struggles head-first, we have to do so with the strength of self-love. Never forget that you are worth the sun and the stars. This confidence and love will take you further than you could ever imagine.
So go forth into the end of this semester with energy, excitement and encouragement from our fellow females. Take their words to heart and trust that if they can do it, so can we!