It’s that time of year again. Summer is coming to an end, and you can’t figure out where the time went. You’ve done everything to get yourself excited about the upcoming school year; you’ve bought shiny new school supplies, reached out to friends from school, and even searched your teachers’ names on Rate My Professor. Try as you might, you just can’t seem to find the motivation to start this semester. The impending academic struggles, late nights, and lack of free time seem to outweigh the positive things about entering a new year. Not a good feeling, is it? Fear not! Keeping these five-word phrases in mind will make it a little easier for you to hit the ground running this year.
1. You have a purpose here.
You are on this life path for a reason. I know that sometimes the struggle seems pointless, but I promise that if you stick with it, you will find your passion—that force that gives you the desire and strength to keep moving day after day.
2. The future is still waiting.
You will not be stuck in school forever. Yes, you should enjoy college while you have the chance, but also remember that the hard times are not permanent. There are so many great future experiences that are waiting for you. As you know, the choices you make now can affect your future, so making the right sacrifices now will ensure that you have the time (and money) to enjoy what life has for you!
3. You have been through worse.
Remember the time you failed that big test? Or the time you showed up to that party completely underdressed? Or the time you found out your friends weren’t who you thought they were? Or the time you had the worst cold of your life, right before finals week? You thought you weren’t going to make it. You thought that you’d never recover. But you did. You made it. Just remember that whatever this year throws at you, you will make it through that too!
4. There is time for redemption.
A year is plenty of time to claim what you lost last year. Your previous year may not have been so great academically or socially. Or, it may have been great and you want this year to be even better. Whatever your situation, I encourage you to make a list of what went well and what didn’t go so well. Put your best effort towards maintaining the habits that resulted in positive outcomes and changing those that resulted in negative outcomes. Whether this year is your second, third, fourth, or beyond, it is a clean slate. It is a chance to recognize, but not dwell on, past mistakes. Most importantly, it is a chance to make the most of the new opportunities that come your way.
5. You will make it through!
I won’t lie and say that there won’t be struggles this year. But, this year doesn’t have to be characterized by those struggles. Struggles are just one small portion of the beautiful narrative of your school year. No one wants to look back on their college years and remember nothing but the negative aspects. Whether you have one, two, three, or more years left, I promise you that the time is going to fly by! Take the time to enjoy the things about college that make you happy because before you know it, this time, will be gone.
I sincerely hope that these phrases will motivate you to start off the new school year with the right mindset. Unfortunately, we can’t get summer back, but we do have the opportunity to make the most of this new season. So, let’s do it! Success is waiting for us!
