Dear Future Me,

Hey there, future Amanda. You look pretty tired right now. Your eyes remind me of when you had insomnia in middle school. When’s the last time you slept a full nights worth of sleep? I guess I should know the answer to that considering how it looks like you haven’t showered in days. It’s finals week, isn’t it? It’s the week of conflicting emotions. In some ways, this week is one of extreme relief. One after another, a test is conquered and a sigh is uttered. On the other hand, you are probably cramming in 15 weeks of material in one night because you decided that playing Mario Kart was more important than studying. I totally understand what you are going through, you have been there multiple times through your schooling career.

However, I am here now to tell you that you need to take a step back and evaluate your semester. What have you learned? What did you accomplish? Most importantly, what would you have done differently?

I know you by now. You are a very driven person when you put your mind to a challenge. You are intelligent when you use your infinite memory for something other than memorizing Pokémon names. You are influential when you decide to do something incredible rather than sleeping until noon.

As I am writing this, I feel like I can be all of those positive traits this semester. I feel driven at the thought of a new start this semester and I feel like I can show my professors that I am the overachieving student that I can be.

I look at you now and all I feel is ashamed. I continue to fall into the same rut every semester. I fall into the same tendencies of running away from my work. I get overwhelmed and decide to escape through my hobbies. I find myself giving up halfway through the semester and riding on the minimum effort train. What’s funny is that every time I ride that train, I still end up with good grades. I still have almost straight A’s in college and I feel I am being rewarded for my lack of effort.

Perhaps I am being too hard on you. Escapism is something that I need to function. This world is one full of pain and hardship. Without my hobbies, I don’t really know what I would do with myself. I would probably break down after several months of rigorous work.

Take a moment to reflect on yourself, future me. Take a moment to think of what you would do differently and I will do the same. We are not perfect and we will never be perfect. We can continue to strive for perfection and we need to learn from our mistakes. When you get upset over all the work you let pile up, look back at this letter. You have been warned, future me. You may have your hobbies, but keep in mind that you are in school for a reason.

Sincerely,

Amanda