Accomplishments: Week 5

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All your life, other people will try to take your accomplishments away from you. 
Don't you take it away from yourself.
~ Michael Crichton, The Lost World

Are you excited to be back at school? How about starting your first year? Really, just me? That’s fine, I’m used to that reaction, but I do think there are many reasons to be happy that we’re here. I’m a Junior now, so I have some experience to back me up. This past summer I worked in the Advancement Office, right across the street from Voho, in McCabe Hall, as well as the downtown Jimmy John’s. I volunteered with Dogs Forever by the Kernels Stadium and played Sims 4 in my free time. I can say with 100% confidence that most of you would never choose to stay on campus over the summer, especially not for two years in a row. Sorry for being unique. All jokes aside, living away from home has been beneficial to me and I believe I’ve made the best decision for my life and career. It’s important to reflect on our past decisions, as well as the ones we’re currently making, and as college students - a.k.a. adults - it’s often necessary. 

Keep a journal, an internet diary, a collection of note cards, or a series of emails to remind yourself about what you’re proud of this past week. Don’t shake your head and claim that you’ve done nothing, because that’s not true. If you woke up this morning, took a well-deserved nap, or stayed up until 4 am completing an assignment you’ve done something to be proud of. From your past actions, think about your current decisions. Did you sign up for something you know you don’t want to do? Did you spend hours playing video games when you need help with your resume? Are you hesitating to apply for that internship you want? You’ve already done so much, so use it as fuel to power you to accomplish your goals. What have I accomplished, you ask?

1. I went out with my friend

We've only had three days of classes, but my professors already assigned a mountain of homework. I spent most of Thursday completing my Personality notes, and while I was sitting in my secret study spot, my friend invited me to go to Scooter’s. I don’t like coffee, but it was a nice day, and I wanted to catch up with her. We talked about our summer and plans for the school year, and later that night we went to the SAC carnival. We spent our entire time in a line, but it was worth it. The man spelled Macaroni with wire and made two different macaroni shapes as decoration. I originally wanted potato salad but there was a two-word minimum. I'm forever grateful to that man for taking my request seriously, since I was very serious.

2. I chose to be number 8

I am a member of Alpha Gamma Delta, and on Saturday we had our sisterhood photo shoot. We laughed and did silly poses, you know, the usual. At the end we decided to take some photos for our countdown to recruitment. Everyone shouted out random numbers, so I declared that I would be the number eight. Even though I was nervous, I did it anyway. I can be surprisingly shy, at times, but I followed through on what I wanted to do, and I’m very proud of myself. 

3. I celebrated Kohaku’s 3-month Anniversary

I kept my plant alive for three months now, which is longer than I expected. I’ve had plants since Freshman year, and when I moved into Murray they flourished. When I moved into Voorhees, they all died. I was very angry about the deaths of my plants, but over the summer I impulsively decided to buy another one. I named my light-green colored Peperomia Kohaku after an anime character whose name means leaf. He loved his new home. I tried hard to take him with me when I went to work so he could get sunlight, and when it turned out that the sun burns his leaves, I left him in the shade. There were times when his leaves had brown spots or a bug would try to hide in his soil, but together we persevered. 

As you can see, you don’t have to save the planet from an alien invasion to be amazing or have accomplished something amazing. Your perspective defines how you interpret your actions, so I encourage you to be a little more optimistic and be proud of yourself. If you’ve done something that you’re proud of this week, let me know in the comment section below.

Author's Note

I began these posts last winter after my 20th birthday, and tried to write as often as possible. Although I didn't keep up my original weekly goal, I know I did my best and will continue to push myself to share pieces of my life with you. Today is September 5, but these events occurred during the week of August 21 - August 25. 

Helpful Links

Psychology Today: Quotes on Pride 

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