All throughout high school, I have always felt stuck. I felt like I wasn’t living life to my fullest potential, and I didn’t know how to change that. I couldn’t wait to come to college and grab onto the opportunity to “start fresh.” After settling in at my new home for a semester, I realized that college is truly the time to become who you want to be. I came to college with an open mind and I was willing to change who I was to become the person I wanted to be. Here are some things that helped me become the best version of myself.
Change your mindset
It is so easy for us to have negative thoughts when something doesn’t go our way. For example, we think we’re not smart enough when we fail a test or don’t get that job we wanted. We think we’re not good enough when we get rejected. We start to develop a negative mindset, and it becomes a habit. Things happen all the time that are out of your control, but it is up to you on how to respond. Do you want to get angry and upset, or do you want to see what positive thing can come out of this? Instead of constantly having negative thoughts, I told myself for every negative thought I had, I had to write down two positive things. When I did badly on a test, I could have gotten upset, but instead, I took it as a learning opportunity to study harder and told myself I will do better on the next one. When I didn’t feel confident about myself, I could have felt down because of my flaws, but instead, I pointed out two things I liked about myself and wrote positive affirmations. This helped me become more positive, and everyone loves to be around someone who gives out good vibes. Whenever something goes wrong in your life, just remind yourself to have PMA (positive mental attitude) and know that something positive can come out of any situation.
Don’t count the days, make the days count
As a college student, so many of us just wake up, go to class, do homework and then do whatever we want, like getting a workout in or sleeping. It becomes a routine, and the people who complain about their days being long are the ones who don’t live each day to the fullest. My favorite saying is, “don’t count the days, make the days count,” because that is the secret to happiness. Go to class and have the desire to learn. Go to the gym and have a killer workout. Go eat your favorite food at your favorite restaurant and enjoy every bite of it. Living in the present and not waiting for tomorrow helps you become the best version of yourself because you start to appreciate things more. You become more grateful for the people in your life, and you see the world in a different light. Something I always remind myself of when I am having a bad day is to seize the day and make the best out of everything. You can always find good in the bad.
Get to know yourself
In order to become the best version of yourself, you have to truly know yourself. I’m not talking about your hobbies or your traits but your values and what you’re passionate about. People say the key to being happy is having money and being successful, so they get good jobs and have a steady income. However, you’re never going to be genuinely happy if you don’t follow your heart and do what you want to do. So many people don’t follow their dreams because they’re scared to fail. They ask themselves, “What if it doesn’t work out?” Well, what if it does? You should do something that you enjoy doing and that you look forward to doing. Follow your passion. It’s okay to not know your passion, because some people don’t know until they try new things out. Try writing, reading, painting, drawing, building, etc. College gives you the opportunity to look for your passion, so go out there and find it.
These are only a few things that can help you become the best you. There is always room for improvement, so don’t be scared of change.
Real growth happens when you are uncomfortable.