The most important thing I learned this semester was that trying a little can go a long way. I’m now a junior and for my last two years I kind of avoided putting in my full effort, basically in everything. In my volunteer program I was constantly short on hours, in my classes I would always turn in assignments late or not at all (not even to mention that I probably went to only about 50%) of them. I was a prime example of setting myself up to fail. I thought if I could tell myself that I didn’t really try, it would make it better when I didn’t succeed.
But this semester I tried something different. I went to the majority of my classes, I did my best to do my assignments on time and there was no assignment that I just chose not to do. I had many breakdowns and many late nights but followed by every period where I felt like I was genuinely stupid and couldn’t do anything was a period where I got a good grade and it all paid off. I had good friends who encouraged me to get my work done and I made the decision to prove everyone who didn’t believe in me wrong.
I learned that it’s never too late to change. That as a junior I’m improving my GPA, doing better in programs and clubs, going to the gym, and still spending plenty of time with friends. That you control yourself and the only person who can stop you from succeeding, a lot of the time, is you. I learned that you shouldn’t listen to people who tell you you can’t succeed unless it is as motivation to do better.
And most importantly I reminded myself that positive thinking is everything and if you believe you can, you can.