1. It's not your business what people think of you
2. Wasted potential is one of the saddest things to witness
3. If you keep saying tomorrow it may never come
4. Being an introvert is okay
5. Don't burn your bridges and always keep contacts refreshed
6. Journaling daily is one the best ways to become a better writer and a better you
7. Own your decisions completely
8. Never forget that feeling is always temporary
9. Document everything, the good the bad and the ugly
10.Procrastination will become your worst habit to break if you are not careful
11. Saving money is a habit you want to obsessively stick with
12. Other people cannot make you happy only you can
13. You have twenty-four hours in a day like everyone else, make the best of it
14. Always write down your ideas and thoughts no matter how silly
15. Driving is not as scary as it seems
16. You have to nurture your friendships
17. If a boy doesn't like you it's not the end of the world, I promise
18. Prepare to be sad... alot but what you do with that pool of sadness is where your creativity
breaks through
19. Art is a skill you must continuously foster if not your skills set will always remain amateurish
20. Research skincare and haircare, your future self will thank you
21. Take a few tech classes and pick up some coding skills
22. Explore the library more and read up on as many books as you can
23. Beware of charming men
24. Always be prepared for that possible opportunity
25. Loving someone and loving the idea of someone are two different things
Please comment below and tell me 5 things of what you would tell your younger self.
This post is so timely. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm 18 and my parents keep telling me that I'm an adult now. I'm still not sure what that means and how to go about doing so, but that's ok.
Five things I would tell my younger self
1. Its okay to be alone, you crave solitude anyways.
2. Don't let fear and self doubt hinder you.
3. Do not be afraid to participate, you might have a different perspective, inspire someone, or meet someone new, your input matters.
4. Being authentic is more important than being well liked.
5. Your life starts at the end of your comfort zone.
Yes being alone is very comforting sometimes, I crave solitude as well. Being authentic is trait I'm working on everyday. I like 5., pushing past the comfort is difficult but so incredibly necessary!
DeleteThere's only one thing: Go with your strengths. My life would have been so much different had I gone in engineering/science/math rather than something I had interest as in psychology/sociology/human resource management. As an engineering major, school would have been paid for, paid summer internships provided and a guaranteed job out of school. Instead, I still have student loans, barely six months of internships and experience in my fields and have never worked in my field since graduate school 20 years ago.
ReplyDeleteSo I stress, when it comes to work, go with your brain and your heart will have the money to do what it wants.
That's very interesting, I'm interested in pursuing Psychology as my major. I have an interest in science, however math is my worst subject, so I ruled out the STEM field.
DeleteWow that goes to show you how choosing a different path really does provide an extremely different outcome. STEM was never for me either, arts and the humanities are more my lane. Do you mind me asking what your current job position is? Thank you for commenting :)
DeleteI work at a bank as virtual tech support for the systems supporting call center bankers' schedules, time off and adherence to schedules. The system supports about 16K people. My team also configures, monitors and does the backend on the systems. I sit at a computer 8 hours a day, but most days only a couple hours of work to do and spend the rest of my time on the internet and reading emails. I have a lot of stuff sent to my work email instead of home since I have more time to read while I'm at work. A family friend refers to it as, "a white woman's job," due to the lack of stress, pay and the fact it only requires a high school diploma.
DeleteEarlier this week, I found an inflation calculator online to see what my supposed starting salary after grad school translates to now. It turns out that when accounting for inflation, I make the exact same thing now. Unfortunately, that was not even my starting salary out of grad school as I never got a job in my feel. My salary was actually more than 10K less than I expected it to be.
Thanks for replying. That sounds like a nice cushy desk job. Is there a position with that bank you aspire to move up to in the upcoming years?
DeleteNothing I can think of. In the beginning, I looked at the possiblity of an HR job, but then we were purchased by another company. We went from having our own HR department to just two people. My supervisor still suggests I apply for HR positions though.
DeleteBut what are you skilled at? What courses do you go to class, listen to the lecture and make great grades with minimum study time? Which study groups are you invited to so classmates can pick YOUR brain?
ReplyDeleteAll the intelligence testing, career mapping and standardized tests said I should go into engineering. Even after graduate school and getting my first full time job in social work, I spent $300 on about 7 or 8 sessions with a career counselor and that testing broke it down to 1) electrical engineer, 2) chemical engineer and 3) judge. Human Resources was at the bottom of the list.
You can take your psychology as a minor or second major. If getting a BS instead of a BA, you will have a few science, math and computer classes to complete and may take more for electives.
I'm not trying to discourage, not at all. I was hoping someone else could benefit from my mistakes.
Honestly I'm not really skilled in anything. I talked to my school's counselor about that before. I can say that I have basic computer skills, writing skills (mostly proofreading) and math skills. Psychology, Sociology, and Religion were pretty much those classes, but that's because I find them easy. I've never been in a study group.
DeleteI should also mention that I attend an early college, its a program that consists of attending school for five years (at the most). I took high school classes as usual (I'm in my fifth year, last semester) along with (community) college classes. Therefore I'm done taking the college prep courses i.e. precalculus, humanities, etc. When I attend college I'm going to be a junior after the first semester; the college classes were pretty much my electives.
Well, when I took the ACT my results was technical arts and sciences i.e. graphic artist, tech analyst, etc. I actually remember taking a interest inventory test freshman year and I received Anthropologist. On the most recent test I have taken Human Services was ranked first, six career clusters were tied for second, and STEM was ninth on the list.
I have been told by two (public health) doctors that I should minor in technology. I also told on a blog by a Neurologist thag I could do a dual degree a have my second major be Business Administration, which leads to HR and two other suggestions, but I have written enough. I have other interests and knowing myself I'm probably going to either change my major or study several subjects.
Whoops not ACT, but PLAN results.
DeleteI forgot to add that English and Reading are my strongest subjects, but I am not interested in a career in English.
DeleteFirst, yes, you have marketable skills. For starters, you are able to get on the internet, have an intelligent conversation with strangers and express your academic strengths and weaknesses in great detail along with future education plans.
DeleteI would suggest social demographer starting with a major in sociology and minor/double major in mathematics. You could work as a college professor in the world of publish or perish or you could work for life insurance companies in determing how much a person should be for coverage. You could teach sociology (demographics classes were some of my favorites because of the numbers) and use you already have a student base for research and research assistants. You know the phrase, "Six Degrees of Separation," well, sociologists proved that theory. Not sure the number now, but check out www.steveborgatti.com. I took several sociology classes with him and he wrote one of my letters for grad school.
But those are just two things social demographers do. Although not always called "social demographers," someone has to help predict where to expand towns and create subdivisions, add highways and shopping malls and determine when and where school districts nee dto put the next high school.
You get to use math, create your own research papers and articles and interact with people in an attempt to make the lives of a large group better.
Of course if you want, you can always teach in the public school systyem lol.
I just took a test on a college/school planning website. This particular test is about determining what careers are best suited to my personality type. I am a INFP (previously ISFP) and I have received the same results I have received in the past. The career results I received were focused on The Arts, Health Sciences, Human Services, Science, and a couple of others clusters I'm not interested in, but would suit me.
DeleteThis conversation was interesting and insightful, but no thanks. Sociology is a subject I can study with ease, but I don't enjoy it and I need a challenge. I have already stated that math is my worst subject. I'm not a numbers person and I don't have a desire to teach. :)
Thank you for sharing your list Colleen. It's so very refreshing! A lot of what you mentioned is applicable to what I would love to do today. While accomplishing it all at once is daunting, I will begin by simply "documenting the good, the bad, and the ugly". Haha! So history doesn't have to repeat itself.
ReplyDeleteHere is what I would absolutely love to tell my younger self.
1. You shouldn’t love a boy just because they play basketball and write you poems.
2. Your current trials are just for a small moment. Though some challenges may seem impossible to overcome, ultimately things will get better. In consequence of your trials you will become stronger and more empathetic.
3. Relish every moment you have with grandma Momo!
4. “Never look back. Look ahead at what you still have to do.” Edward Dube
5. “Cast not for yourself treasures on Earth where moths doth corrupt and thieves break through and steal but cast for yourself treasures in Heaven where moths doth not corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal. For where you treasure is there will your heart be also."
and if I may add one more
6. Love yourself and others relentlessly.
Thank you Blondine. Your list is very nice. I like the quote "never look back. Look ahead at what you still have to do" by Edward Dube.
DeleteSuch an excellent list! We are always learning. So many of these struck a chord in me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you :) Yes we are forever students of life. Which ones in particular struck a chord with you the most?
Delete