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5 Thoughts You've Had If You Have A Summer Job
The dilemma of a summer job.
03 June 2019
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Summer jobs are great but let's be real, these are the thoughts that go through your head.
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The dilemma of a summer job.
Summer jobs are great but let's be real, these are the thoughts that go through your head.
I didn't "buy my friends"
I think there's such a negative stigma around Greek life in this world. Movies and TV have made it out to be crazy, continuous partying and full of hateful people all based on looks. I love being a part of Greek life for so many reasons. Here are some misconceptions about Greek life debunked.
My sisters are my friends because we all share common values, likes, and dislikes. We spend every day together, live together in the house, share group chats, and have similar majors so we are always together. No amount of money could've made the bond my sisters and I have and I wish people would realize the true bond between sisters because it's magical.
There's a certain GPA every Greek house requires you to meet in order to stay an active member. Plus, we always encourage study dates with other people in the house and some houses even throw study events to raise money for charities. Also, some of the top scholars known were in Greek life soooooo...
Many people think we don't do anything but socialize when really our whole existence is based on philanthropies! We spend every semester raising awareness and money for the foundations we love and we have all ended up being some of the primary monetary donors for those causes!
It's what's on the inside that truly counts. We all have found our houses by our personalities and values, not by our looks. A house will want you if you share the same value as them and that's how you'll find your people.
It's true that many of the girls you may see in one house might all have something similar by a certain brand altogether, but that's just what being sisters is like. it's not like you have to buy certain expensive brands or dress a certain way to "fit in." Greek life is all about being yourself!
Most of us are on academic scholarships and have to maintain grades and a good image to keep going to our college. Not all of us were born rich, you know?
It's true with any college student that it's fun to go out every now and then, but it isn't what Greek life consists of. Greek life is supposed to be finding your forever people, your second family, and your home away from home. These are the people you will rely on on your best days and worst, you don't have to party for that to happen. Plus, believe it or not, there are certainly Greeks who don't party or choose to stay away from that lifestyle.
Every year, many people create a list of goals to accomplish during the year and most of the time those goals fall through. Whether it be lack of motivation, knowledge, or just falling back into old habits, the goals just seem to die easy. However, all goals should be accomplished, no matter how big or small. Each goal is hard at first but becomes easier every day. The only catch is, you have to do it every day.
Working out is easy. what makes it hard is getting to where you want to be. If you don't work out often, you could start walking for thirty minutes everyday at a designated time. Once you're used to this you can begin working out in different ways like jogging or lifting or whatever you want. Working out at a certain time of day helps train your brain to think that you are supposed to be active at the time you choose.
Create a workout plan. You can create a workout plan for a day, a week, a month or the whole year. Stick to your workout and your rest days. You can start by working out three or four days a week and add workouts on rest days when you feel like doing so.
Hire a personal trainer. This is a person who will motivate you, educate you, and push you to your limits. Having a trainer is helpful for commitment and knowledge when starting out.
Have a workout buddy. Having a workout buddy helps keep both parties motivated. Hold each other accountable and create fun workouts to do.
With the internet at our fingertips, we can teach ourselves almost anything.
Search for healthy recipes. Make healthier meals for yourself. Buying lots of healthier food can be a bit more expensive but you can always make a stir-fry with ramen noodles, mixed vegetables and a sauce of your choosing!
Wean yourself from unhealthy snacks. There are many charts on the internet that explain why you're craving a certain food and fruits to eat when you have the craving rather than grabbing a less healthy option. Stock your pantry with dried fruit rather than candy and learn how to make some tasty snacks.
You can also try different types of meat like more chicken, turkey burgers instead of beef, and even fish. You can also venture out and try different butters like almond butter.
There is more than one way to make it. No matter what it is. If you think vegetables are gross, try preparing them a different way. Try different spreads and sauces. The sky is the limit!
Quitting an addiction of any kind is a difficult thing to do. You must have willpower and motivation to overcome withdrawal symptoms but it can be done.
Wean yourself. You can give yourself only certain times to smoke like whenever you go to work. Be cautious when doing this because if you're trying to quit, you don't want to Pavlov yourself. Spread your smoke breaks throughout the day rather than at very specific times like after a meal. Otherwise, your body will crave it because you've trained yourself to smoke at that time.
Give yourself a certain amount that you want to smoke in a day. For example, tell yourself you'll only smoke one cigarette or 100 puffs. This method will at least help cut down the smoking to where you want to be. You could also tell yourself how long a pack or a bottle of juice will last and stick to it.
Get nicotine gum or patches. These may help when you're experiencing withdrawals but are able to resist a cigarette.
Do not buy things that you don't need.
Open a savings account that is specifically for what you are saving for and do not take money out of it.
If you know someone who is good with money, ask them to mentor you.
Pick a dollar bill ($1,$5, $10, etc.) and save each one you get in a piggy bank until the end of the year!
When you get your paycheck, save the hundreds and stretch the tens until the next pay day.
Sell items you no longer use or need.
Read a book that a movie was based on.
Check out Good Reads or find a list of books that fit your interests.
Pick a book from your reading list and read one book each week.
Once you get an assignment, complete it before the due date.
If you remember that you have to do something, do it while you're thinking about it.
If you have other priorities such as playing video games or watching your favorite TV show, limit yourself to one episode or or one hour, then do what you need to get done.
At least start what you need to do before you go to bed. Then, you can pick up where you left off.
Leave positive notes for yourself. Write down motivating messages or your favorite quotes on sticky notes and put them in a place that you look every day.
Think about the brighter side of the situation. This can be hard to do but there is always something positive that comes out of a situation. If you can't think of anything good, talk to someone about it and see what their perspective is.
Think of people as human beings. This can drastically change your mindset. If you think of people as anything other than human beings it becomes easy to desensitize yourself.
Hang out with people who always think positively. People with happy mindsets usually have no problem in helping others feel happier. You might also pick up some of their habits.
Get rid of toxic entities. If social media makes you feel bad about yourself, get rid of it. Whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it.
Don't let petty things ruin your day. There is no need getting angry over things that you can't control. Like if your order takes a little longer than usual to be delivered to you. If you begin to get upset over something, think to yourself "should I be mad about this?"
If you need to rant, then rant. It helps relieve the anger. It also helps if you throw in a few jokes.
If you are not at all confident, pretend to be confident. The more you pretend, the less it feels like pretending. Fake it til you make it.
Wear the clothes you want to wear.
Do not pay attention to what other people might think of you. Odds are, the people you think are looking at you, aren't paying attention at all. If you look good and you feel good, the day is yours.
Remember that people are people and everyone is awkward sometimes. No one is looking at you, and its okay to pick up the change you dropped. You're okay.
If there is something that you find interesting, take part in it. You could make it your goal to try one new thing every week or so. Like taking a class, painting something, or trying DIY projects. Or if you're looking to travel more, plan a trip fpr every month. You can go somewhere local or across the globe. Hobbies are for leisure so don't stress about this New Year resolution.
Limit yourself to a couple hours on the internet or on the TV.
Take walks and enjoy nature instead.
Go to local events or places that you want to check out.
Do fun things with your friends. Experience the things you see on social media rather than just read about it.
Being a residential advisor is more than receiving a paycheck to live on campus and do paperwork. Residential advisors are the people who build communities and impact residents lives.
From Hillary Clinton to Adam Sandler, some of the most famous people were once those people that made the living on-campus experience worthwhile. I have always been a planner and planned my entire college career and being a residential advisor (RA) was never on my itinerary. Like most, I didn't know what it meant to be an RA. The only thing I knew was that they were supposed to be someone to go to if you ever needed anything. However, I soon discovered there is much more to the residential advisor position that many never see.
Last year, my RA mentioned that she felt that I would be a great RA. Frankly, until she mentioned it I had not even thought about it. I did not know what qualities I possed that made her feel that I would be a good fit for the position. I decided that I should at least look into it. I did my research in what the job entailed but I still didn't quite get it. I soon learned that it would come to mean much more to me.
You see while I was applying last year my grandma got really sick. We began to see the end of her time with us approaching. And I started to think about the impact she made on my life. I realized that she was what made a home, home. As weird as it sounds this is what made me want to be an RA. I wanted to be what my grandmother was to me at home, on campus. Someone that my residents could go to but also someone who created the happy and healthy environment to live in. I wanted to make this place home for my residents and make them feel important because I know how the opposite feels.
I have always been shy and reserved. I can confidently say I did not find my place on campus until this year. And I knew I was not the only one who felt this way. That there had to be someone else like me, and if I could do anything to be someone for that person, I wanted to be. That is when I decided I wanted to be an RA.
Yeah, we do a lot of paperwork, we make bulletin boards and report incidents but we are also that safety net for our residents. We are the leaders in our hall communities. You never know what some people are going through, and you are the person to be there for them. College is one of the most vulnerable times for a person. The first time away from home, family and friends. The first time taking care of yourself. If there is no one else, your RA should be someone to lead you on the right path.
After that shift is over, go out with or without your friends and do something you really want to do.
As summer approaches, the plans start developing and the optimism for an adventure filled summer is still high. Then, before you know it, you're setting an alarm to get up for work and you're tucked into bed by 10 p.m. because you have to get up and do it all over again the next day.
It's frustrating, I get it. Especially when you sit and watch Snapchat stories of everyone else at the beach, traveling abroad, or just laying out and tanning, and you're left counting the minutes until your shift is over. It's easy to get sucked into that feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out) and it's often hard to shake the feeling that you should be doing more. But that's just it: you don't need to be doing more. Yes, working all the time is not anyone's definition of fun, but it's up to no one but you to make your summer all that it can be.
It's easy to give up hope on your summer when your biggest thrill is going to the bank to deposit that check that you've been working so hard for. Or when you come to the realization that your friend list has limited itself and every time anyone asks you to do something it usually doesn't line up with your work schedule. The thing that has helped me the most is realizing that work is not forever. After that shift is over, go out with or without your friends and do something you really want to do. Something that relaxes you and makes you happy. Get your nails done, sit by the pool, lay out in the sun, plant some flowers, or even just lay down and watch Netflix, the list goes on.
Fitting in trips to the beach whenever you can will allow for the chance to escape the work mentality and resort to relaxation. The worst thing to do is nothing. Boredom eats away at you and you end up getting in your own head and then before you know it, it's time for your next shift and you have done nothing. The only thing worse than working is doing nothing to even out the workload. Taking time for yourself is important in order to have fun this summer.
Trying to live in other people's shoes will never bring you the happiness you desire and depending on other people to fulfill that need for fun won't get you there either. The hardest part about doing things on your own and living for yourself is getting comfortable with yourself. Having to worry about what other people are doing in order to make plans is difficult, especially because everyone has opposite schedules.
Having a job is frustrating. Work gets in the way and leaves you bored and a lot of times unhappy, but you have to be able to work around work. It's definitely easier said than done, but basking in boredom definitely is not the key to having a good summer either. Work hard, but don't forget to stop and smell the roses before it's too late and you realize all you have done all summer was watch Snapchat stories and wish you were in someone else's shoes.