We have our own little mantras, and things that we’ve learned to live by through our own experiences. Here are some of the major lessons that I’ve learned, as well as where they came from!
1.) If you’re struggling with something, then take a deep breath, clear your mind, and try again.
Everyone has their own coping strategies for dealing with stress, including counting to ten, going for a walk, whatever works for them. My strategy is a general one that could work for anybody, since clearing your mind is usually the biggest issue people have when they’re struggling. I actually learned that this works for me in high school orchestra. If I was really struggling with playing a part of the music and had already tried and tried, I would make myself stop, take a breath, forget anything else on my mind, and try again. I didn’t always master it right away, but it usually became a little easier. I now use this for anything – taking a test, doing a project, or anything else.
2.) Act confident, even if you have no clue what you’re doing.
This is something that I learned from doing color guard in school. Acting confident leads to you feeling more confident, which leads to more success! If you act nervous and let it show, then people may think that you have no clue what you’re doing, and therefore not trust you. When you act confident, people listen, and them listening helps you feel more like you’re doing something right. This is also something that’s good in any kind of situation, especially an unexpected one! Usually, if you have to do something like giving a speech, for example, you have time to practice (and this technique works for that too – you’ll look less nervous!). Sometimes, though, you get thrown into presenting something, and acting confident is the best way to show people that you’re the right person for the job!
3.) Everyone is truly different.
Everyone knows that everyone is different, so this one may seem super obvious, but I never realized just how different people can be until I became an education major. There are things that are different about people that we know about, like culture and race and hobbies and preferences, but there are also things that we don’t really think about. They can include family dynamics and traditions and things that are completely normal to them, but unheard of to another person. Sometimes there are personality traits that you don’t even realize exist until you meet a person with them. It’s important to keep in mind that everyone has different traits and characteristics.
4.) People have completely different upbringings.
This may seem the same as the last one, but it’s in a completely different context. This is something that I realized when I moved into college freshman year and met my new roommates. We all had a lot of similarities, even though we knew each other’s cultural differences, hobbies, and obvious things like that. However, one day when we sat down and really got to know each other, I realized just how different their upbringings were to my own. Simply discussing our families and the way we were raised and grew up, our family values and the things we considered the most important made me understand how strongly our lives contrasted.
5.) Change is wonderful.
This is a lesson that I can’t pinpoint when or where exactly I learned it, but rather a bunch of different little events that led to this conclusion. When I was little, I was the pickiest eater in the world. I knew that I liked spaghetti and meatballs, so whenever we went out to dinner, that was what I got. As I got older, though, I got more daring with the foods I tried (first at home, and then slowly as I went out to restaurants). Now, I love so many different foods that it’s hard to keep track of it all. Change can be as small as trying new foods or switching up your clothing style, or as big as moving out or travelling on your own! While it can definitely be nerve-wracking, it’s something you won’t ever regret, since you’ll never know what you like or don’t like if you never try it!
Hopefully some of these lessons are useful to you, and maybe you can make your own list soon!
HCXO, Lola
*All images courtesy of Pinterest