I Recorded A Second Every Day For 2018 And Here's What I Learned

I Recorded A Second Every Day For 2018 And Here's What I Learned

Spoiler Alert: it was everything I knew but didn't want to admit to myself.

Katie Petrilak
Katie Petrilak Jan 11, 2019
140
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There are so many good times to reflect on in 2018 and so many things I learned and I am SO blessed.

1. It's easy to forget about the fun times

Every clip I took I can look back on and say something about. However, without the clip, I probably would forget about those times. I spend so many nights in a practice room with my friends, and there are so many that made the video, but they were all so worthwhile and I'm glad I have those moments documented forever.

2. You realize who your closest friends are

In high school, I had two separate groups of friends. It was hard for me to have the best social life because I was constantly bouncing back and forth between the two. I decided in 2018 I wanted to try and spend more time with the one friend group that I occasionally hung out with on breaks. That didn't happen, but I did hang out with my college friends, and that's where it's at. You make REAL connections with them and they made 2018 the best year yet.

3. Not every second of your day matters

There are 365 days in a year, 24 hours each day, 60 minutes in each hour, and 60 seconds in each of those. The number of bad days I had in 2018 were a lot. But I just let too many seconds affect days. Those bad seconds don't matter. Just take a deep breath, figure out how to solve your problems, take a step away, and focus on the good seconds that are ahead.

4. You don't have to do EVERYTHING... say no

I spend so much of my time doing things for other people. I am the person who volunteers so much of my time for others. But it is okay to say no. I only realized that in the last few months of 2018 and I wish I realized it sooner. After summer I spent more days relaxing and doing things I wanted to do, and I did it all for a better me.

5. Your faith will take you farther than you think

I was blessed to survive 2018 and to remember every single day. I was able to become the happiest me possible and it was all because of God's grace.

Thank you 2018 for being an amazing year. You really outdid yourself. I'm ready for you 2019.

Katie Petrilak
Katie Petrilak Jan 11, 2019
At West Chester University

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7 Things You Do If You’re One Of Those 'I Always Order Chicken Tenders' People

It's hard to love food but also hate it at the same time.

Chloe Hassenfratz
Chloe Hassenfratz Jan 15, 2019
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Growing up, my mom would usually have to cook me a separate dinner from my siblings. Why? Because I was ridiculously picky and wouldn't eat the same foods as everyone else. Trust me, it gets old. It's not my fault certain things just taste gross, you learn to live with it.

1. You eat something you hate just to see if you still hate it

I'll take a bite of a burger every once in a while just to reaffirm that it still tastes like dirt. I just have to know. Don't even get me started on vegetables.

2. When trying to explain what you actually like to eat, people give you major side eye

Don't ask me about my eating habits unless you want to get into a long, confusing conversation.

3. Eating at someone else’s house when you were younger was a pain

You hate to tell their parents just how much you hate the food that they gave you. So, you sucked it up and ate it anyway only to come home and whine to your parents.

4. There’s one thing on any menu you always fall back on...even if it’s on the kids menu

Pizza, maybe. Chicken tenders, always.

5. Trying a new food is a very proud moment

It's like, wow! Look at me being all adventurous.

6. When you realize you actually like some new food, that’s an even more amazing moment

Crazy times. This rarely happens.

7. Sometimes it’s the texture, sometimes it’s the flavor, all the time it’s left on your plate

Oops. At restaurants it's either left on your plate or your order is very specified.

Chloe Hassenfratz
Chloe Hassenfratz Jan 15, 2019
At University of Michigan

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Leading Without A Title In A World Of Credentials

Leadership doesn't necessarily mean that you have some kind of title.

Molly Vanhoy
Molly Vanhoy Jan 23, 2019
13
views

The word "leadership" isn't foreign to me. In fact, it isn't foreign to anyone that I go to school with or see each day. "Leadership" is what college admissions officers want on college applications. "Leadership" is what potential graduate schools look for. "Leadership" is the stuff you can put on your resume. For my generation, "leadership" means a title or experience. But "leadership" actually means "the capacity to lead" (at least to Merriam-Webster, that's what it means). Leadership doesn't mean that you were the president of two clubs, the captain of the varsity team, and the editor of that publication. Leadership is about consciously influencing a group of people to do something or go somewhere but in a positive way. No one appointed Rosa Parks a leader of the Civil Rights Movement when she refused to give up her seat. Jesse Owens didn't have a fancy title when he won an Olympic medal. Rosalind Franklin was certainly not a leader when she discovered the structure of DNA, but she changed science forever. You don't have to have a title to be a leader.

Think about your friends. Is there someone in your friend group that seems to always make the plans or help everyone figure out what to do? That person doesn't necessarily have the title of "friend group leader," but yet, they strive to lead your group. The people you live with on campus don't have "hall leader" titles, but they still act as an example for everyone else. No one gives the straight-A student a title of "smartest kid in the room." Leadership is about influence and example, not titles and offices. Titles and offices don't give you the right to lead either. Just because someone is a chapter officer doesn't mean that they are a leader. Likewise, the chapter members can still lead just as effectively without an office or title. Our world needs more leaders that don't require titles. We seem to have become obsessed with having the perfect resume experience and are afraid to speak out without the backing of some title behind us. Leadership credibility comes from influence and example, not appointment or prestige. Leadership without a title has often changed our world for the better, so let's continue to change the world without the fear of lacking credibility due to not having a title. Let's remind ourselves that leadership isn't about office or title, but it is about affecting real change for others.

Molly Vanhoy
Molly Vanhoy Jan 23, 2019
At North Carolina State University

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