“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid” – Albert Einstein

Good reminder for when you’re an English major forced to take chemistry. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and one grade in one class doesn’t define your intelligence.

“He who fears he will suffer, already suffers because he fears” –Michael de Montaigne

Stress and anxiety is unfortunately a part of life that everyone either has experienced or will experience at some point. I know from personal experience that the anticipation is typically the worst part of any situation. If you can find a way to visualize success or practice rational thinking- you are half way there. Self fulfilling prophecy is a real thing.

“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm”- Winston Churchill

Hey, we’ve all failed at something. Even the brainiacs with straight A’s have failed at one point or another in their lives. It’s easy to get down on yourself when you fail or don’t do as well as you wanted to. Try to remember that the significance of a situation is only significant because of the meaning we attach to it. I know it sounds very hippie dippie, but hey, what can I say? I’m majoring in human development.

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it” – Mary Engelbreit

This advice is the key to everything. Some things in life are set in stone; and as frustrating as that is, there is a freedom in accepting that. Changing something is the easy part, accepting that you might not be able to is when we are really pushed to our limit. As a control freak, I know this is something that I struggle with. Practicing willing thinking instead of willful thinking can allow you to see situations for what they are instead of what you wish they were.

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hopefully the answers to the exams lie within us. We usually are way more prepared than we realize. Trust yourself and know that it will work out. Even if it doesn’t go as you hoped, it will be over at some point.

“There is no man living that can’t do more than he thinks he can” – Henry Ford

We are all capable of greatness!!! Get out there and dominate!!