AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
My parents are undoubtedly my role models for everything I do, whether it’s the work ethic I learn from my dad, who brought himself up from rural India to suburban Michigan, or the patience I learn from my mother, who has raised two children without ever grounding them. I have learned from both their mistakes and failures, learned to adore them as paragons of virtue and appreciate them as people. The majority of my values and beliefs come from them.
But every now and then I have discovered a nugget or two of advice from others that have made their own impact as well. I’d like to share these with you:
“Whenever you do something, decide whether it’s something you’ll want to remember at 35.” When I started college, my uncle told me to consider this when it came to making any decision, big or small. In the past three years, I’ve found myself using my reaction to this question in everything from attending a party to switching my major.
“Do what you need to, then do what you want to. But before anything else, put sleep down first.” The friend who told me this wasn’t much older, but his insistence that I learn to manage my time (to the point of my now color-coded obsession) has been instrumental in helping me find the things I waste time on and replacing them with things I love.
“It’s not all black and white, but if you can figure out the white noise and get rid of it, you’ll be left with more of the hard black facts.” My mentor imparted this advice to me during my last week of the internship I’ve been doing this summer. I was confiding how nervous I am about starting work and he pointed out that when it comes down to it, if I stick to the facts I will be able to make better judgments than if I allow myself to be drawn into the emotional whirlwinds of other people.
“Thou shalt not be emo.” The friend who told me this was speaking jokingly about my love life, but this applies to much more. A passage in the Quran, loosely translated, says that negative emotion serves no purpose but to harm either ourselves or others. Instead, focusing on the positive and managing the negative allows every single one of us to function more efficiently and enjoy a better quality of life.
“Love yourself, it’s easier for others to love you this way.” This friend was talking about self-confidence, a factor that easily comes into play in the workforce. My generation, young and inexperienced as we are, tends to be overconfident of our capabilities, while simultaneously riddled with insecurities about our futures. Our paths are as unwritten as a Natasha Bedingfield song, but if we can find the strength in ourselves to take that first step of a thousand miles, we can be sure that others will recognize it and lend their support along the way.
And finally, my personal favorite: “You may fall or you may fly, but at least you made your own wings.” It was my oldest friend who told me this when I made the decision to switch my career path. Own your decisions because it’s your life, not anyone else’s. Don’t watch life as you stand by the sidelines. Be the most valuable player you can be.
I’d like to thank my editor for all of the advice and help he has given me and the other Hire Education seniors. I’m still young in the grand scheme of the world, and it’s not often that someone older and wiser offers someone my age the chance to speak instead of listen. I hope I’ve said something along the way that was worthy of this opportunity, but even if not, I know I’ve definitely learned.
Thank you all, and good luck Class of 2011!
View the original article here
0 comments:
Post a Comment