University isn’t just a place for academic growth. It could also be a space for spiritual growth, emotional growth, mental growth and a physical growth (literally, or merely a change in one’s sense of bodily expression i.e. piercings, hair, fashion). Ideally, this occurs because of a universal yearning to improve in any way that one can. You want to look better, treat people as well you can and be a kind and actively helpful individual in the world. I don’t have all the answers on how this can be achieved but here’s what I’ve learnt so far:
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Who do you want to be?
We all have different definitions for being the ‘best’, it could mean being on the Dean’s List, becoming more social, becoming more involved in community service, booking more DJ’ing gigs or it could be as simple and essential as being kinder. Despite the differing goals, one thing remains the same: an improvement must be made to the present you. To do that, you need to know yourself well enough to know what needs to be improved. How can you be better? Once you’re able to answer that question, prioritise the changes for the better accordingly. And thus, begin the journey of becoming who you want to be.
2. Write it down
Jot whatever changes you would like to make within and for yourself down. This is so that the idea of being better can slowly begin to translate into becoming better. It’s useless to continuously think about changing for the better without making moves to be the best you, that you can be. Put the written words in a place that you can access easily. Some people become desensitized to goals that they see every day, so depending on who you are, decide where the best place to put them will be. This serves as motivation.
3. Be Better – Put everything into practice
If ‘be kinder’ is on your list, do it. Download positive affirmation apps to condition you to be more positive, observe the way you treat people and make a conscious decision to be better. You could do this by being less judgemental and more open-minded, listen more, understand more, be more compassionate, write down everything that you’re grateful for etc. If you want to be involved in community service, look up places that you can become a volunteer and apply for whichever one speaks to you. Make queries about the homeless people in your area to the governmental head of the suburb. If the dean’s list is a goal: work harder, be realistic and persevere. The point is, being better is something that requires action: you need to DO in order to BE. Remember to be realistic and to do everything for you, not for social media or anybody else. Being the best version of yourself isn’t about being in competition with or comparing yourself to anyone but yourself.
4. Exercise
It can be dancing, Pilates, swimming or walking your dogs. Exercise will make you healthier and it will make you feel better. When you feel good, you look good and you’ll probably be more pleasant as exercise releases stress and tension.
5. Stick to it.
Being the best version of yourself is almost an unattainable goal because there will always be some aspect of yourself that you can improve. You can always be a better student, child, sibling, colleague or friend. So, just stick to continuously being in competition with yourself and outdoing the actions of the past. This involves learning from your mistakes, forgiving yourself and moving forward.