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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.

Writing this right now makes me feel different…in a really good way. 

I’m sitting in a classroom in my hall, listening to my liked songs on Spotify while being on a FaceTime call with the one and only Chinelo (Ayomide and Kamsi are very much fast asleep). You might ask, “what has changed?” Honestly, not that much, except that I feel I am more in control of what I choose to do. I feel myself maturing, which is something I find so weird but cool at the same time. For the first time, I see the decisions I make, the goals I set for myself, and what I sacrifice; it just feels so different.

I stopped writing for the whole year last year because there was so much on my plate. I felt I was fulfilling my priorities but when I look back, I know I could have done better. Here I am now, with two hours to the clock, making sure I send this article in. It makes me feel proud of myself.

How have I grown in the past year? I have decided to take more responsibility for what I sign up for. In the past year, I thought I didn’t have to do certain things because they weren’t that important even when I had consciously taken up the role. This wasn’t my best decision. It made me look incompetent — like I wasn’t up for the tasks I made commitments to. In order to remedy this bad habit, I make sure I am participating in everything I sign up for, even if that means going to bed a little later than usual. It’s definitely worth it.

I feel more in control of my emotions. I have come to realize that most of the time, I can’t control what is happening around me or influence the situation I am in. I accept it as it is. I believe everything in my life happens for a reason and everything that is for me would be for me. For example, if I don’t get something I have been hoping for, I now understand that maybe it’s not meant to be at that moment in time. When I fail, I remind myself that it is inevitable and that if I really take my time, I could potentially learn something from it. Through these realizations, I find myself not stressing about the small things as much.

I see myself waking up earlier to get an early start on my day and complete my tasks. I am more empathetic towards people and make sure I step in when I can to make someone’s day or job easier. I am more selfless and I try to make sure everyone feels comfortable in any space they are in.

Overall, I am more optimistic about life and I feel a lot better about everything because at the end of the day life would always be a pot of beans.

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Fayo is a sophomore at UMass Amherst and double majoring in Marketing and Communications with a minor in Psychology. Fayo enjoys writing about anything and everything but mostly about the most random things. Fayo believes in not explaining what she writes as she writes in the spur of the moment and she believes every piece of hers should be read with a pinch of salt. **Mum & Dad**