Hello, all! I would like to introduce you to a brand new column that will be a regular, starting now! Do you ever have any epiphanies? Any immense realizations that cause you to rethink your entire existence, your goals, your character and your destiny? I know I have these, almost once a week! If not these, then you certainly learn something new each week – something besides what you are paying thousands of dollars to go to school for. We all learn life lessons, and these are more valuable to us than the thousands of dollars spent on a degree. Well, in this new column I will share with you some of the new lessons I learn each week, some of the epiphanies that come over me and everything I relate these to. If you have any realizations you would like to share, we will feature it! Just shoot me an email at khann8@students.rowan.edu. Now, let’s dive right in.
The lesson this week: You do not need to improve yourself for anybody but you.
I came to this lesson because I was kicking my own butt a few weeks ago by working out like crazy and not eating as much as I should have been. Yes, I know— red flag! I was doing this to try and look nicer for an event, but the event came and went and just like that, I stopped working hard on improving myself. I should not let an event dominate who I am and what I do. I should work on myself, FOR myself. Not for anyone else. And this is what I would like to tell you to do too; work to improve yourself FOR yourself. Not for anyone else.
This is such an important lesson for everyone to learn. So many times in life we are trying to impress someone, we yearn for their approval and go to extra – sometimes extreme – lengths to gain it. But why? What will you gain from someone else’s approval? Unless their approval is something you need to improve yourself, (for example, the approval of an admissions committee to get into a program/school), then you do not need it.
Think about it, Profs. How will that other person benefit from something you do? If you want to get that hot beach body to impress other beach hotties, what good is that going to do you, or even them? If you want to get into shape, do it for yourself because no one is going to benefit from your healthy body than you.
If you want to get good grades to impress your parents; what good will that do your parents? Get good grades so you can set up a better future for yourself! Then of course, if necessary, go back and help your parents through your success. But be motivated to be better for yourself, before you try being better for anyone else. You will not be happy if you keep doing things for others and not for yourself.
I hope you all take this into account as you study hard for finals and work hard for the summer. If you’re going to improve yourself, do it for yourself. No one else will care after the first five minutes*. It will benefit you for much longer than that.
*Parents are by no means included in this statement. We all love our moms and dads, and they are proud of our achievements way longer than five minutes! But work for yourself, as well as for them!