In honor of many recent high school graduations, I'll post my advice for college freshmen from someone who has been there, done that. I can't promise it'll be brilliant (or original), but hopefully it will be helpful. Now sit back and let an old geezer learn ya a thing or two....
1. You don't own the place, so don't act like it. Just remember how you felt just this year about all those little kids in 9th grade.
2. Put down Call of Duty and pick up your textbook. Of course, there is a place for fun. Just not when you have homework. My freshman year I decided to play games a lot more than doing homework. No wonder I didn't understand my math class. You won't earn a degree in video game playing.
3. Leave the drama in the theater. You thought people would be more mature than in high school? Think again. People don't get more mature, just more crafty and sly in their immaturity. So stay away from those people that never mentally made it out of the 8th grade.
4. Don't overstudy; you'll need the sleep. A mistake that most people make is staying up until 2 a.m. every day just to get a little more study time in. I promise, the extra sleep is worth it. Make your late nights rare. And take study breaks while you study. I know my focus is completely gone after about 30 minutes of study, so at your focus limit, just take about a 10 minute break.
5. Take a little time on your weekend for something fun. Even on your busiest weekend, you need to take a break sometime just to maintain sanity. Whether that's just sleeping in, going out with friends, or whatever you do for fun, it will give you much needed refreshment.
6. Don't be desperate. I'm talking about guy/girl stuff here. She's looking for the prince, he's looking for a female that's breathing and acknowledges his existence. Finding a mate for life is important, but don't let it consume you. I was like that my freshman year. I analyzed everything every girl said to me. I let myself get heartbroken every time someone didn't respond to a Facebook message. It was stupid. It really takes away from simply enjoying life. Takes away from study time too.
7. Find a good group of friends. Well duh, everyone needs friends right? Find people that will encourage you in hard times and laugh with you in good times. You might meet these people at a job. You might meet them in a class. Maybe have weekly lunch plans with a person or group. Everyone needs a support system. Besides, people often meet "the one" (which I don't believe in, but I use the term for sake of understandability) just by hanging out with their friends.
8. Appreciate your teachers. I'll admit, I've had a few teachers I didn't care for. Like, I'd rather suffer through a 3 hour chick flick than attend their class for an hour. But appreciate the time they put in. At least in my case, the vast majority actually cared about students. It would probably hurt the teachers to hear all the things said about them behind their backs. Most of them are probably willing to just get to know students, so take advantage of those who are.
9. Don't get offended easily. You're getting out in the world a little more. Not everyone knows who you are or where you've come from. People will be insensitive about sensitive subjects for you. You can't let people have that kind of power over you. You need to decide what's worth worrying about. You can decide whether or not you let petty things bother you. Transcend the haters. Just do what you know you need to do. Don't let someone else define you. Define yourself.
I hope not having a #10 will bother you OCD people. It's kind of a hobby of mine. I hope you found something useful. I wasn't too clever, but I think if you (freshmen especially) take the advice, life might be a little better for you than when I had to learn the hard way.
-RST
Monday, May 27, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Problem vs. Inconvenience
It's a nice summer day in Georgia. Well, a little hot, but we can't have everything. So like every normal person, I headed out to the pool with phone and 1 month old iPod touch in pocket figuring I might instagram a picture at the pool. Unfortunately, my brain had different ideas. It decided to make me forget what was in my pockets. Or maybe it was thinking "well you CAN instagram a picture at the pool.... just underwater." So..... my phone and my most monetarily valuable possession (iPod) took a bath. While I was my normal calm self on the outside, let me assure you that I was much less than calm on the inside. I was not very excited about having paid $300 for a paperweight. I quickly ran home and threw both things in a bag of rice. We'll see if it works.
But let me get to the real point of this post. As I was frantically scrambling to get my iPod and phone in a bag of rice while cursing my bad luck, I remembered the words of one of the Bert Show's (morning radio show in Atlanta) hosts, Jeff Dauler. "Is it a problem, or just an inconvenience?" Really powerful words. Let's think of all the daily things we get upset about. Did you get cut off this morning on the way to work? You probably yelled and honked at the driver. I've stubbed my toe before and had to bite my lip to keep from saying words I know I shouldn't. I lost a $20 bill recently and nearly lost my mind looking all over for it. And of course, just today, my brand new baby, my most expensive piece of personal property, my iPod touch 5th generation took a bath in the pool.
Now let's look at those scenarios. Do they/could they hurt? Of course. Less money in my wallet or a scrape on my big toe always hurts. But think about it. Will I care about $20 or an iPod when I die? Will those things get me any closer to heaven than not having them? Nope.
Now let's think about other things happening in the world. Starvation, human trafficking, and disease are just a few examples. More recently, there have been many homes destroyed, lives lost, and people injured by the tornado in Oklahoma. On a smaller scale, my dad is dealing with cancer. The grandfather of one of my good friends is on the verge of death and as far as we can tell is not on his way to heaven. Now there are some real problems. Let's put it better than I can in words....
Look at this:
and then tell me that this:
is really a problem. It's very sobering very fast. The parents of my cousin's husband lost their house completely in the tornado. Thankfully they are all ok, but I would ask you to pray for them (and everyone affected) as they figure out what to do next. I lost a few dollars. They lost a home. One is an inconvenience. One is a problem. It would do you good to learn the difference.
This is how you can have at least a small part in helping recovery efforts in Oklahoma:
-RST
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