Dear friends,
I know for many of us, this past year has been full of ups and downs for various reasons. For me, it has been a year of change, growth, heartache, happiness, tears, and so much more. Also, my 20th birthday is not too far away, my sophomore/junior year is coming to an end (I have enough hours to be a junior, but it’s only my second year lol), and it’s got me thinking🤔. Unfortunately, my anxiety makes me think about everything almost all the time---I've been working on it. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the future, and reminiscing on how much my life has changed in the past year—-for the better. Through it all, I’ve become a much more mature and headstrong woman in every way. I’ve grown so much as a person... it’s crazy to me when I think about it. I guess college does that to some people.
Anyways, I figured I'd share some things I've learned over the past year in the hopes that maybe I can help others see the light in any situation and find inspiration for future endeavors.
As many of you know, last semester I changed my major from Industrial & Systems Engineering to a BS in Psychology. It was a hard decision for me to make and something I spent a long time thinking about. Fortunately, I’ve always been an intuitive person, and once I knew in my heart that psychology was for me, there was no turning back. A few years ago, I never would have had the guts to switch majors. As a high schooler, my intentions were clouded by the thoughts of others. Now, not so much. I guess you could say I’ve become more confident in my decisions. Through the whole process of switching majors, I’ve learned that you only have one life to live. One life. No second chances. I had already wasted so much of my time trying to prove myself, my capabilities, my dreams to others, and I got fed up with it. From now on, I'm doing what's going to make ME happy. What's the point of living if you aren't living for yourself?
Recently, a worldwide pandemic has been encroaching on the world's livelihood, but it's actually taught me quite a few lessons of life. Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic ruined a lot of things for basically every single person on this planet. However, I never thought the situation would hit so close to home...literally. Recently, my grandfather passed away due to COVID-19 and other issues (which if you follow my blog, you already knew that). My heart broke, and it's just now beginning to heal---I think. Due to the pandemic, this past year taught me to expect the unexpected and to appreciate every moment you get with your loved ones. You never know when it's going to be the last. Also, I always try to be positive and to see the good side of everything, but to be honest, the situation at hand has really been getting me down. It finally hit me that sometimes bad things happen to good people and that life really sucks sometimes. BUT, that's how the Earth has been since it was created, and that's how it will be when it's destroyed. I've learned that you can plan and plan as much as you want, but sometimes things still don't work out the way you want them to---again, this is called life. Usually, I'm the type of person who likes to get everything ready beforehand and I have always followed the Girl Scout motto "always be prepared". Now, I've been learning how to go with the flow and roll with the punches. And honestly, this new change of pace has been kind of nice.
Another thing I've learned is how to slow down and find joy in the little things in life. As society changes, so do people. In today's world, especially in the United States and other industrialized countries, Ia lot of people take things for granted, focus on the negatives, and are always in a busy rush. I'm not trying to call anyone out, because I am indeed one of the guilty ones---at times. Sometimes, I'm in a rush to get something done, can't stop focusing on the negatives, or forget how truly blessed I am. Throughout this whole pandemic, I've really been trying to work on these things. Even before COVID-19, I was working on these things, but with the extra free time, I've been trying to hone in and work on these areas of my life. And, you should too! Even in the darkest times, there is a light---sometimes its just hard to see. If you practice focusing on the joy in life, eventually it'll come as second nature. It's kind of like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which basically involves rewiring your brain and pattern of thinking.
At the end of the day, there may have been some bad things come about during my second year of college. But, there was a tremendous amount of good, and the lessons I've learned throughout have been priceless. If you read this blog, I challenge you to start making little changes in your life for the better, whether that's slowing down your pace of life, focusing on the positives, or not taking things for granted. Whatever it is, do it for your body, do it for your mind, do it for your soul, and of course, do it for YOU. I mean, we only have one life to live right? Why not live it to the fullest?
Until next time...
xoxo,
Allie