Don't should on yourself.
This is the main piece of advice I walked away with after our PACS Society Alumni night. (You have to say it out loud to understand why it's such a good phrase (; ) So what does it mean? Well, means that you can't let other people tell you what you "should" be doing. Only you can figure out what you want to do. Sure, you can take advice from others, but don't let them guilt you with shoulds or should nots. Be what you want to be and create your own opportunities.
And you know, at first I was like yea, that's great, that's not a problem for me. My parents are pretty supportive of whatever I do, and I don't really have a lot of people telling me what I should do. In fact sometimes I wish I had more people telling me what I should do because I have no idea myself (anyone have a road map please?). But then I realized that instead of other people telling me what I should do, I should on myself. |
You see, as I'm graduating and looking back on my university career, I keep thinking of all these things I could have done, I should have done. I should have taken advantage of free training seminars to boost my resume. I should have gotten involved with more groups on campus. I should have done a term abroad. I should have paired my degree with practical skills, like Arts and Business or Communications. I should have spent less time playing 2048 on the internet and more time enjoying my last term here. So many shoulds. So many things I could have done. And yea, maybe I could have done different things, but the things I did do were pretty valuable and I really enjoyed them. I enjoyed a whole host of roles, from Peace Society Leader to StuCo President to service trip leader to 50 Shades of Grebel Committee member to Grebel Ambassador to PACS communications Assistant and more. |
And there was never going to be enough time to do all the things I wish I could have done. There are not enough hours in a day! So there's no point in guilting myself with shoulds. Instead I need to look to the future, and focus on what can I do now? What new opportunities can I take moving forward that will lead me in the right direction, or help me develop valuable skills? I can tell myself “should” all night, but none of that matters until I look to the future and actually start doing what I want to do. So I thought I'd just pass on this little bit of advice I learned. Don’t should on yourself. Enjoy what you do. |