Hola, friends, and family! I hope you guys are feeling the best version of yourself. I can't explain in words how long I have been waiting to publish this post. It's been a very long and enlightening journey for me. My college experience was nothing like an average student's college experience. It was full of challenges and struggles, but I overcame them, bringing me here today. So for today's discussion, I'm just going to discuss my journey through college, and in the end, I'll share why you should power through.
The Start Of The Journey
It wasn't too long ago when I questioned if I would be able to go through college independently. If you know my history, I left my parent's house at the age of fifteen, and since then, I have been financially responsible for myself. I don't come from wealthy family background, so I knew it was all my effort or no college. Narrowing down a good college was challenging. How the hell is a sixteen or seventeen-year-old supposed to make such a big decision to choose an educational institute that has the power to break your future bank and credit history?
There I started my journey. I talked to multiple people about how important is the college's reputation. As expected, different people had different opinions. But the summary of what I took away was that students mostly party the first two years when they are taking their base-level courses.
I decided to enroll myself in a local community college based on that feedback. I went there for a year. I took five classes each semester and made some really good friends. If I'm honest with you, I didn't pay too much attention to my classes, which harmed my GPA. I was too focused on making money. I had two jobs at that time. I worked Monday through Friday at one job and another specifically for the weekend. In my defense, I was always tired, so it was hard keeping up with the school.
In The Midst Of All
At that time, I was living with my sister and her family. They decided to change the states and while discontinuing school was not part of my plan, I wanted to get out of that city badly. I took the leap of faith. I decided to take a more extended break to qualify for in-state tuition and set myself up financially. This new city was full of opportunities. I immediately got a job at a local restaurant that I used to work at back in my home state. I hated my life at that point. I hated that job. I had no friends. But all along, I knew everything was temporary. I will find a better job. I will make some friends, but everything comes with time. I landed a much better job and started making progress in life very soon.
2019 was the year when I was supposed to go back to school. Before going back, I made sure I had a place to live, a reliable car, good credit, and a flexible job. I was on the right track and started school in January of 2019. Then there comes a series of events in my life that tested my breakdown levels and patience. I was depressed for most of 2019. I still had no friends that I could talk to in person, and I knew my family wouldn't understand my struggles.
How Did I Bounce Back?
As discussed before, I knew everything was temporary. I wasn't going to stay in that stage. I wasn't going to become the victim of learned helplessness. I decided to help myself. I set some goals for myself and started working on them. I started working out and eating better. I began researching ideas to improve my living standards and reading books on mindset. Now, that was a game-changer. The last quarter of 2019 was undoubtedly better. I started talking to random people in my class. I started taking a shot at things I never imagined doing. I made a goal to be closer to my family beginning in 2020, and the arrival of my first niece helped me accomplish that.
While 2020 came with its problems, it was still a better year than 2019 for me. The online transition was a bit challenging initially, but I made it work. Many rejections from the potential opportunities made it more difficult, but I never gave up. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I started using all the setbacks as motivation.
Then there comes the year 2021. I was already excited to begin this year. This year brought a lot of flexibility problems. The first half of the year kept me on my toes. Something was going on back to back, including getting covid, getting my brother married, and working from a completely different timezone. The second half of the year brought so many fun memories and a lot of new friends. It brought inspiration and confidence that made me feel wholesome. Finally, I started a countdown timer when 110 days were remaining until graduation, which roughly translated to the start of the semester. I knew two of my classes would give me a hard time, so I used that timer as a motivation.
And Alhumdullilah (praise to God), I made it happen.
I didn't expect this post to get this long, so I will post a TL;DR
TL;DR: Mindset is everything. Set your eyes on the prize, and don't give up until you get it. Growing and learning, and especially falling, is part of the experience. Stop caring about people's opinions, and do you.
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