Secrets of studenthood
Last year, a good friend of mine said to me, “Miranda you have to read the Happiness Project,” so I did. It is a book written by Gretchen Rubin who shares her story of finding greater happiness in her every day life.
In the book, Gretchen compiled a list of philosophies on how she wanted to live her every day life. She calls them her “Secrets of Adulthood.” That year, I started making my own philosophies to help me rethink my priorities in student life and be more intentional about the way I spend my time. You can call them my Secrets of Studenthood. My list has now grown to about 30 ideas. Here are my top six:
1. Do the best you can in the time you have. A wise friend said this and it stuck with me. When I feel anxious about getting school work done, I try to take a breather and focus on getting it done, rather than making it perfect. I find that I still produce quality work this way, but I’m less likely to stress over the details.
2. Don’t ignore nagging tasks. If there is something on my mind, I try to deal with it as soon as I can. This way I can focus on other things and feel more relaxed. If there is an email I need to send or I need to get new glasses, I feel a lot better if I get it out of the way.
3. Write down your goals. I keep notebooks or make big mind-maps to track my goals over time. Sometimes, I just grab my cell phone on the bus and jot down an idea or a goal I want to remember. I even made a bucket list!
4. Big dreams are awesome and each step along the way is an accomplishment. Chris Hadfield was a keynote speaker at Impact last year (Impact is an amazing conference for young leaders in environmental sustainability). Chris talked about how his goal was to travel to the moon, but he found value in the journey. This makes me feel like I can dream big because, even if my path changes, I’ll have some amazing experiences along the way.
5. Things that don’t always go according to plan are a learning experience. I had lots of learning experiences at UVic (I can see my fellow students nodding as they read this one). Things happen; things change, but the moments that challenged me are the experiences that helped me grow as a person.
6. Find time for the fun stuff. I try to take time to see friends, volunteer, go to events, be creative, play guitar or just get outdoors. This gives me a chance to relax, re-energize and stay motivated.
So tell me, what philosophies do you apply to your life? Comment below!
Until next week,
Miranda
Wow, that Chris Hadfield must have been amazing! Never knew he took that “Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll land among the stars” saying so literally!
Hey Dylan, yes his talk was so inspiring!. The funny part was he said he never actually made it to the moon, so technically he didn’t achieve his goal… but he went to space three times!!
In fact, once his talk was over I turned to my friend and said (completely not realizing the pun at the time), “wow Chris Hadfield is so down to earth!”