While the concept of “choosing your battles” is one that can apply to numerous situations, it is especially an idea which returning college students should learn to love. Sure, students at all levels could use this mindset; but, anyone currently in college most definitely understands the never ending struggle.
One of the hardest things about college isn’t even the school work. Of course, students aren’t breezing through homework and studying, because it certainly is a challenge. However, what truly makes this time of our lives anything but easy is how unpredictable it all is. In high school, any problem that would arise seemed to be fairly predictable. Back then it was relationships, family, drama, or schoolwork. While that may not cover all of the bases, I dare to say it covers most! College years are full of moments that simply do not go the way we planned. The worst part is, those moments are ones we could have never seen coming our way.
This is why the sooner we apply the mentality of picking and choosing what is most important to us will preserve our sanity. Didn’t make it into the class you wanted for the semester? That’s never fun. Is this something you will let drain you of your energy? Work might not be going well for more reasons than I can name. Does this need your attention more than other stressors going on? You may have missed out on an opportunity, is your focus needed here?
The key idea is that there is more going on in our lives than we could ever plan for. It is not healthy for us to stretch our worry, energy, and focus so thin that we are bound to break. That would set us up for nothing but failure. I challenge us all to be honest with ourselves about what really matters. It is in our best interest to let go of what is not life altering and loosen up a little bit with all of it. We may have a plan of just how we want everything in life to pan out; but, the quicker we learn to adapt to curves and twists, the closer we are to a little more mental peace.
HCXO!