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She writes and shares stories because there are words at the edge of fingertips and mouths persistent to be declared, discussed and defined. Here is a gathered collection of words from both the deep and not so deep chasm that are thoughts, stories and words every gracious individual must know.

School Year Resolutions

7/1/2015

 
Doheny Library
As students begin receiving acceptance letters, it's the time of year where preparations for school in the fall commence. During summer, we get to reassess, set our own set of goals, and get into shape, both mentally and physically. These can be extensions of our new year resolutions or completely new ones as we start a new life at school again. We have a lot of responsibilities on our plates, a lot of pressure to do great things, and to do them well. It's not enough to be admitted to the best school in the nation; you have to be great while you're there too. It's not only about being present for all your classes, but to excel in your studies and be involved too. 

We've previously discussed on this blog about how difficult our 20's are. Being in an awkward transition stage of growing up and being on our own, but still having our parents on speed dial if our bank accounts go below $45 for groceries. It's the time in our lives where we need to figure things out, make smart choices that will better our future, but still enjoy our youth in all its glory at the same time. This is the perfect time to at least try to get your life in order and know the general direction you'd like to go. 

Let's take a look at these responsibilities, and how we can manage them this school year. 

School | Academics
This is absolutely your most important priority. Whether you're a working student, or have prior commitments; you possibly wouldn't be who you are, or have the opportunities you may have without being at the school you currently are in. So it's important you do your best to stay there. There's no need to pressure yourself in acing all of your classes. What is important is that you have chosen a major that you genuinely love. If you have found that, as long as you pay attention in class, do your readings, submit your homework in which you put effort in, and you are learning something, you will find that your grades go hand in hand with that. 

Extracurriculars
Here is where the fun begins. This is your chance to be involved with something bigger than the classroom. You will find when you are involved with clubs and organizations on campus you grow your network much faster, enrich your academic experience as a whole, get hands-on experience in leadership, social strengths, and time management and you also deepen your life experience. It's another responsibility to add to your list, but it's one that you will thank yourself for when this involvement exposed you to the right people, opened doors for beautiful opportunities, or helped you realize what you wanted to do when you leave school on a bigger scale. We learn about ourselves and the world around us when we are involved with extracurriculars. 

Work | Financial
Now that we are on our own, some may be responsible for our own wealth. There are two primary reasons why students have a job while being in school: this job is in the field we have dreamed of, we may already be in the industry we were working towards or are one step closer, or we need to pay for rent and start saving to pay off our loans soon. 

Health
Physiological needs are the physical requirements for human survival. If these requirements are not met, the human body cannot function properly and will ultimately fail. This is an important reminder that food is a metabolic requirement for survival. Alcohol should also not be a main component of your diet plan. Remind yourself the importance of eating at least three times a day, and try to eat as healthy or filling as you can make due. 

Also, don’t forget about making sleep a priority! Getting enough rest is crucial in developing a healthy lifestyle, so observe your sleeping patterns to see if there’s anything you could adjust to make your nighttime rituals more steady. It may be difficult with the amount of homework you have to go through or when choosing to go out with friends late, but make an effort to sleep. 

The struggles and stress that comes with juggling academics, social standing, personal standing, and income may be a heavy burden. There are many ways to figuring out how to do everything and excel at it all. The first part is not putting so much pressure in yourself to accomplish everything and to accomplish it all perfectly. Once this pressure is released, we can take a look at our list of responsibilities with less worry and anxiety for the rest of the semester. Rather we can take a look at the list with ambition and excitement of the growth and experiences to come. After releasing the pressure you put on yourself and prioritizing your list, create a realistic schedule of your time and how you will be able to manage each task and job on a daily basis. Organization and keeping yourself aligned is the key to being successful. Lastly, after all the technicalities have been ironed out, after your calendar has been made and you are aware of the goals you set, the last part of the equation is your mind. If you can believe you can accomplish everything you placed on your plate, then you are capable of fulfilling these goals. Put yourself in the mindset of continuously achieving greatness, and you will always meet yourself there. 

Photograph from Tumblr 


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