Adulthood 101

"...God has said, 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you'..."- Hebrews 13:5

"Consider it pure joys, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." - James 1:2

I spent my first day at "Big girl College" and felt more overwhelmed, out of place, and lost than I have felt in a long time. I didn't know anyone or any teacher or even where my next class was. They talked about clickers and drop boxes, and they may as well have been speaking Chinese because I was lost. I've thought about dropping some classes, changing some things, and even if I might could get in at Southwest again, but then I slapped myself back into reality. Here's what that slap did for me... 

In life, just as in class, you have to be flexible. 

There will always be things that require adjustment and coming out of your comfort zone. You will have to readjust and rearrange and ask questions. You will have to schedule and reschedule and plan and cancel plans. You will have to email and call and email and call and park far away and carry lots of heavy things and be okay with not knowing exactly what's going on. Flexibility is key.

 

In life, just as in class, you have to be humble. 

You have to be okay with not knowing what is going on. You have to have enough confidence to ask questions and the ask for help, and you have to be okay with not having all the answers. You have to get comfortable on the bottom sometimes, and be willing to work your way to the top. You have to realize that someone will eventually know more than you, understand more than you, and that someone will probably be liked more than you. This has to be okay. 

In life, just as in class, you have to be disciplined. 

You have to be willing to put aside the computer and the cell phone and One Tree Hill and devote time to more important, more rewarding (even if you don't think so now!) things. Be it work or school, both deserve your undivided attention, even when it is not willingly given. You have to make sacrifices and compromises. You have to grow up a little, even when whining and crying and putting it off seems to be the best solution. You have to make yourself do the work, and do it well. 

In life, just as in class, you have to show care and concern. 

You have to let your teacher, boss, parent, know that you put your whole effort into the task at hand and did your best work. You have to show that, even if it isn't your favorite thing, you are willing to work just as hard and put just as much time and thought into whatever it is, as if it was your favorite thing to be doing. You have to be concerned and caring and show that you are glad to be there and thankful for the opportunity, even if at the time this might not be true. 

And in life, just as in class, you have to remain optimistic. 

Optimism, I have learned, is the real key to success. You have to remember, as your computer crashes with your 12 page, unsaved paper, or as you get grounded and your keys are taken, or as your boss moves you back to the cubicle and tells you to come in on Saturday, it could always be worse. You are never so far down or behind or confused that you cannot reach the top and you are never not good enough for whatever job needs to be done. Things could always be worse and your job or your class or your life could always be harder. You are never alone and you are never without. Although you might not realize it at time, you are never alone and never without; you are never left or forsaken. There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to hold on long enough to see it. And hey, once you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up. :)