How many times have you been given an opportunity that you knew would further you, but you let it pass you by? Maybe you took advantage of it, but you just halfway did your responsibilities, or did the bare minimum. Opportunities come at us in a hundred different ways, whether it be joining a club, getting an internship or working within your community -- there are so many ways that you can expand yourself.
Growing up, my parents always told me to do everything that I did with excellence, to not even think of taking something on if I was not going to give it my best shot. Yet, so many times I found myself lacking in responsibilities that I worked hard to achieve.
When 2015 came along, I decided to change that trend in my life. I decided to take advantage of my internship, positions in clubs and my goals. After making the change, not only did the people I work with notice, but I started gaining more recognition from my peers and bosses. Which is awkward, because that means that people actually realize when you are doing just enough to get by. Skidding through life is not going to get you where you want. You have been given all of the opportunities, positions and jobs that you have for a reason.
Although it may not be the cool or popular thing to do, sometimes staying in instead of going to a crush party is a better idea. Maybe you are working on a project, studying for an exam or, in my case, writing a story. But it will be worth it. Do not get me wrong, I am definitely not suggesting being all work and no play, but prioritizing does go a long way. I am not implying that you should miss out on every event because it would make you a horrible person if you went. College may be a time to expand yourself, but it is also a time where you can make unforgettable memories.
My problem was being all play and no work. I took the easy way out nine times out of ten, and did just enough so that I could get back to doing nothing. Then I would sit around and wonder why things were not going the way I wanted for my life. You never know what doors could open when you give 100 percent. Not only does doing everything change within your responsibilities, but something starts to change inside of you.
I noticed that after I started off this semester of change, most of the time, making the right decision would not come naturally. Sometimes, I would just forget that I had made the decision to stop being lazy and I would have to remind myself. I had to make the tough decision of choosing to research basketball stats for my internship, instead of watching Netflix and binging on junk food. (Maybe you are stronger than I am, but this was a hard one.)
Taking advantage of your opportunities is not going to be easy -- that’s why it’s called pushing yourself. You have to be your biggest motivator to get what you want in life, even if you are unsure of what you want. How will you know what you want to be and accomplish if you do not try and find out what you do not want to do?
College is the perfect place to get involved and find different clubs, internships and shadowing programs that can help you make the tough decision of what you want to become. Maybe living a lazy life full of non-stop partying and pushing off your responsibilities is fun and easy, but as a person you are worth so much more. You have the potential to be anything you want to be, as cheesy as that sounds.
There is a strong possibility that this does not apply to whomever is reading this. The majority of my friends have a good sense of what they want to do and how to manage their time to get where they want to go. I am just a little late on it. But if on some off chance you are like me, join me in challenging yourself this year to become the person that you have always dreamed of being.
