You have been accepted into your dream university and you are all packed and ready for that move in day one week from now. Everything is set, except for the decision that will shape the quality of your college experience:
Who will you be?
You are entering into an environment full of strangers with no preconceived notions of what you are about. This is a golden opportunity to live up to the image of the person you have always imagined yourself being.
Even if you were fully satisfied with your teenage years, college offers a chance to switch things up from what has always been expected of you from your family, friends and peers.
Why not try something new on for size?
I know from personal experience that it is possible to successfully flip your persona around if you set your mind to it.
If you were quiet in high school, but you now want to be a social butterfly, the possibility is there in college!
I made the decision to change and I turned things around for myself.
My post-high-school-self is not really a new person, but simply an amplified version of what I had been too scared to reveal during adolescence.
I have made more friends and lifelong memories in college than I had accumulated in four years of high school because I was able to get over my fears and become the truest version of myself.
I broke out of my shell and put myself out there so I could open myself up to new people and new experiences.
So, how can you become that new version of yourself?
If you are looking to use college as an opportunity to learn, grow and change, this is the time to do it! Step up to the plate with these tips and you will be looking at a better version of yourself in no time at all.
1. Decide what it is you wish to improve upon.
Make a list of self-improvements and place it somewhere in your dorm where you will see it everyday. This constant reminder will keep you on track when you lose sight of your goal.
If you are constantly reminding yourself of how and why you should change, you better your chances of actually following through and doing it!
2. Get Started!
Each day, make an effort to do at least one thing that the new you would do on a regular basis.
For instance, if you want to be a better student, volunteer in a class discussion in which you would normally stay quiet. Over time, these actions will become second nature and you will start doing them out of habit.
The new you will comfortable in your “new skin” and after a while, you won’t even think about these actions, you’ll just do them!
3. Reward Yourself.
Becoming a better version of yourself is not an easy task, so you deserve to be treated!
Whenever there comes an occasion when your efforts produce positive feedback, acknowledge it. Do something small for yourself such as buying that iTunes song that everyone is blasting or picking up that cupcake you’ve been eyeing all week.
Of course, there are those who claim to be thoroughly satisfied with their attitude before college.
Some prefer to keep quiet during class, put in the minimal effort in school or avoid making new friends on campus, but the point is, if the person is happy, then who we are to judge?
Still, if you are like me and believe that the labels of high school restrained you, take my word for it that you can be whoever you want to be once you walk onto campus. You may or may not be satisfied with this reinvention, but that is part of discovering who you are and who you will be in the future.
It might take a few tries, but eventually, you will reach your goal and the rewards that come with it.
