18 Truths to STARt telling yourself

It feels like time has been flying past and it is already Easter break! It has been a relaxing and much needed break, especially with the last two months packed with school work and club activities. I cannot believe I am almost done with my freshman year of college!

 This week we were asked to read an article titled "18 Truths to Start Telling Yourself." This article was filled with wisdom about things you should tell yourself or be mindful of. There are some truths I believe I tell myself regularly and try to live by, such as "A few REAL friends are all I need" and "Everyone Deserves kindness and Respect." I value my friendships more than almost anything, and I would do anything for my friends because I know they would do the same for me. They really do "make my day a little bit brighter simply by being in it." I also try to treat everyone with respect; it is one way that I believe truly shows a person's character. There are some truths, however, that I need to work on telling myself such as everything is a life lesson and adversity makes us strong and wise. I tend it get easily discouraged with rejections for jobs or positions which makes me less likely to apply for other positions. It creates doubts in my mind and clouds my ability to see what I can improve on. I have started to overcome this by applying for many positions, even if I didn't get the one before it. As I was searching for a quote, I stumbled upon something I found to be even more telling and inspiring. Abraham Lincoln was undoubtedly one of the greatest presidents of all time, and here is a list of just the major defeats in his life before he was elected president. It shows hope and the value of perseverance.

The second article we read, "15 Ways to Live, and Not Merely Exist" had many points that resonated with me. Some I felt proud to read because I try to consciously do those suggestions on a daily basis. One that really resonated with me-and made me laugh- was "Do things your future self will thank you for." Now it might seem odd to people at first to hear that I laughed at that, but it is because I always surprise myself at how prepared I was in the past for my future self. Some times I forget I have done something or missed a critical part of a project, but when I go back to fix it, I see I've actually done it! I even have done things such as saving things from my sophomore year in high school for years later. My running joke is that my past self was more prepared than my present self is. There are points that I need to work on too. Leaving enough time for fun is a point that I struggle with because I get caught up in deadlines and am always trying to get ahead. Another point that I need to work on, and ties back to the one in the article before, is Accepting the fact that the past is not today. I need to not get discouraged and take their advice,

"Don't let the past steal your present and future from you. [...] you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future."

 The video project is coming along quite well. I believe we all had the same sort of format for our "interviews" and have the same vision for the end product. I met with most people to film the interviews and Lauren and Syed are planning on editing the video together. The lead program has greatly influenced my view on leadership and how conscience I am of my leadership roles. I learned about what it means to be a servant leader, how important it is to be a leader, and ways to improve on being a leader. Leadership has taken a deeper importance to me. I now am actively aware of how I carry myself and how service plays a key role in being a leader.