idkshannon - Tumblr blog

idkshannon · 7 years ago

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Goals for the summer

“I tried to blog a couple summers ago, but that didn’t go as well as I’d hoped - I think mostly because I didn’t know what to write about and then became busy with my internship. This summer, with so much free time on my hands, I really want to try and consolidate my thoughts into a cohesive manner. I also want to be more productive.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been sitting around home the past three days. While change is great and refreshing, I definitely miss a routine in my life. The activity I looked forward to back in college was consistently working out in the mornings and seeing a difference and healthy change in my body - and I miss that. (I miss a lot of things, but that’s for an entirely different post) Thus, I’ve decided I want to try and consistently swim, which I’ve heard is a great work out. Just kidding, I know it’s a great work out because I used to swim when I was younger. It’s interesting to reflect on the lessons I was “forced” to take and only appreciating them 10 years later. I wish I took my swim lessons more seriously, I wish I took my piano lessons more seriously and I wish I continued with ballet (even though I only went to one class when I was 6). I’ve been thinking about Andy’s quote “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them” from the Office (my favorite show whee) a little more than usual recently, mostly because college just ended and I know I’ll miss it.

Anyways, that’s kind of off topic - what I wanted to get at is that I want to use my time more wisely. I caught up with a friend today (talking on the phone is so great, we spoke for a little more than an hour just catching up on what’s been happening in our lives) and she talked about the study abroad program she’s currently attending in a small town right outside Kyoto. A “Zen Mind Enriching” class, she joked about how all this stuff mostly went over her head and that she didn’t fully understand what the professor was teaching - however, one thing that stood out to me during our conversation was the concept of Kaizen. Japanese for “improvement”, the idea is to aim for continuous improvement, which ultimately helps with productivity and effectiveness. While it’s more so applied in supply chains/in a business setting, I thought it was still applicable to everyday life.

Additionally, the two other things she mentioned that I thought were really neat are wabi sabi and intention setting. Wabi sabi is the traditional Japanese idea of imperfection. Essentially, accepting the constant state of imperfection and impermanence. I thought this was really interesting; she brought up an example of how pieces should be placed “imperfectly” in a zen garden, in which I asked whether it was actually imperfect or not because it could be “perfect” for that person as they placed it that way (does that make any sense or am I just rambling). Intention setting, on the other hand, is what it sounds like - setting one (or two, or three) goal/intention you’re trying to achieve that day and then working towards that throughout the day. This really resonated with what I wanted to achieve this summer, so I wanted to mention it last.

This brings me to the goals I want to accomplish this summer:

Make an effort to swim at least 3 days a week (start off slow and build up later on)

Read! (I’ve been telling myself to read more since even before college but I never got around to doing that - why? Because I get distracted, which is honestly a terrible excuse) [Side note: compile a list of books you want to read/end up reading]

Be conscious of what you’re putting into your body. I worked out quite often in school because I mostly wanted to feel less guilty about what I was putting in my body, but I think it’s about time I start being aware of what my body likes and doesn’t like.

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idkshannon · 7 years ago

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Revival

It’s been a little while since I’ve been on tumblr, let alone this blog. My last post was from my freshman year of college, and here I am - two weeks post-grad. It’s been a pretty wild ride, and while it’s been great sitting at home having all this free time since graduation; the past couple days made me miss the routine lifestyle I had in college. Thus, I’ve decided to make these next two months more productive.

These past three days have been evoked new feelings within me - mostly me missing a structure within my life and adjusting to change. I miss my friends and the familiarity of what I’ve come to call “the usual” (waking up, going to the gym, class, doing homework, hanging out with friends, sleeping & repeat). These past three days have also pushed me to reflect on what I’ve learned during my time at college.

My brother, who is a senior in high school, recently decided on which college he wants to attend in the fall. A very exciting decision in regards to his next step in life, and I’m immensely proud and eager for him to experience what’s out there in the world. Growing up in a very “sheltered” high school, I’ve come to realize how much the world has to offer and how much you can learn about yourself through various experiences. I wish I had someone really reached out and told me what to do and look out for in college. I knew after high school I wanted to try something different and explore a new place, but that also made me wary and subsequently made me close myself off the first year. Here are some points and tips I want to share with my brother.

Really put yourself out there, like really - but not in an annoying manner. Posting on the Facebook page could get you a couple friends initially, but don’t lock yourself down to just a few people. Become friends with people that you think vibe with you and let the next four years decide whether the friendship is worth sustaining or not. I wish I had interacted with people in my dorm more my freshman year. Though I enjoyed having my own space (and I still do), I wish I mingled more in the hallways and met more people. Would these friendships have lasted all four years? Probably not, but I definitely would’ve learned and heard from different perspectives, ideas and interesting things from other parts of the world.

It’s okay to feel lost and confused the first couple months or even the first year. I think I wrote about this a while back on some other blog, but I’ve always known what i wanted to do in high school, and that didn’t work out for me the first year of college. I remember calling my mother and crying because I didn’t know what I wanted to study or do with my life and it was (at that time) the most lost that I’ve ever felt. I encourage you to take classes you even have the slightest interest in during your first year and see what you really like - though most of them are just introductory classes and can be a little broad, it’ll still be able to give you an insight to see whether you’re interested/if you’re good at it.

Your family will always be there for you. I don’t know how many times I’ve called home/mom about random things I wanted to talk out. While your friends and advisors are also a great support system, nothing beats hearing your parents say everything will work out and give you advice you know is genuine.

Get involved. Literally sign up for everything you see at the fair for organizations/clubs within the first couple weeks of school - and then weed out what you don’t like. This is something I wish I would’ve done my first year. Not only is it a great way to meet new people and friends, it’s also a great way to learn the ropes of how an organization actually works, and a really great way to gain experience in working with a group of people you may or may not like.

Have fun your first year, but also work hard. I got relatively good grades in high school and so decided to step back a little my freshman year - and while I agree that grades aren’t everything and that the process of learning and absorbing new information is what is most crucial, I think it’s still important to be conscious of how your grades are going to impact future decisions. The reality is that internships, jobs and certain organizations will look at your GPA to determine whether you qualify for first-round interviews, and so while I encourage you to learn whatever you want to, I advise you to take it seriously and try your best.

And since we’re on the topic of academics - go to office hours. I didn’t understand the importance of office hours until the winter semester of my sophomore year, when I really struggled with some of my classes. Not only does it help with your intuition and process of learning (by clarifying concepts you don’t understand - which is not shameful in any way), but it also lets you see what your professors and teacher assistant/graduate instructors are like. I met my favorite professor by going to office hours, and I got an A+ in what I thought would be a very hard class because I reached out to a GSI. You also meet people who go regularly, and they become your study buddies which are so important in hard classes.

Which brings me to my next point - make friends in your classes. I was definitely guilty of leaving right after class and not interacting with anyone in my big lectures, but it is so helpful to know someone in your class. It’s definitely much more interesting to study with one or a couple other people, especially when the topic is boring (like core classes which are mandatory). It’s also a great way to make friends - I actually made most of my close friends through my classes.

Don’t beat yourself up if you fail. Failure is obviously very subjective, and for me that was the various decisions I made my sophomore year of college. While I don’t regret anything that happened in college, there was a period of time where I felt like I had failed because I had lost the direction of what I wanted to work towards. I’ve learned so much from that experience and I think ultimately gave me the motivation and courage to do keep making myself a better person today.

Observe and learn from your surroundings. It’s so easy to get lost in your own world and set schedule that sometimes you forget to just observe the changes around you. The smallest thing can shed light on another lesson, and I think it’s important to keep your mind open and see what’s out there.

And lastly, be proud of what you’ve accomplished and what you will achieve. One thing I’ve kind of struggled with earlier on in college is hearing what others are doing and subconsciously undermining myself because I’m not doing what they are. It might be disappointing when your interview doesn’t go the way you want it or if you don’t get into a club/organization you were excited to be a part of. But there are tons of other opportunities out there waiting for you and that’s probably even a better fit. It’s easy to compare yourself to others, and while I think some healthy comparison is important (you can’t possibly improve and learn if you don’t acknowledge that there are people out there who know more), it shouldn’t become a negative force that brings you down. I’ve learned to be proud of what I’ve achieved, but strive to do more - don’t settle, keep planning other goals you want to reach.

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