This past month has been unusually busy for the typical college student. With midterms and everything else that invades our schedules, our lives have been going nonstop.
During this time I’ve received some juicy tidbits of advice and encouragement that I thought really needed to be shared. Some of these have to do with college life, but most are just simply for everyday life, because outside of our lives as students we have huge lives that we could use some help conducting.
I’ll call this list, “The Juicy Tidbits of Life.” Feel free to share them, because as the saying goes, “Freely ye received, freely give.”
1. “If you want to make an easy job seem hard, just keep putting it off.” I can’t remember who said this one, but it ran though my head all this month. Even though none of us procrastinate, I think this one can still be applied to life.
2. “Excuses are the crutches of the uncommitted.” If you constantly find yourself making excuses for why you can’t do something, and I’m not talking about solid reasons here, then you likely are not committed to whatever it is you’re making those excuses for. To go along with this tidbit, you can always say “no,” and sometimes you need to.
3. “Just be where you are, and take one step at a time.” – Suze Orman
4. “Life is about choices and patterns; everything has consequence.” — Dr. Phil. I got the opportunity to see the great doctor speak in person, and he gave this juicy little tidbit to help with the little ailments we experience in life.
5. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45. This one fits so many situations in which we find ourselves thinking, “Why in the world did I say that?” So, if you say something to your roommate or friend that you wish you could take back, go and check what’s in your heart about that person.
6. “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” — Thomas S. Monson.
7. “A dream becomes a goal when you put a timeline to it.” — Dr. Phil. Another prescription from the doc. Don’t procrastinate on this one.
8. “Truth has nothing to fear from investigation.” This one is in Pepperdine’s affirmation statement, and normally it gets applied to the typical things that I’m sure just came to your mind. However, I applied it to trying new foods and experiences, which helped to bring some joy in the midst of all the stress.
9. “If your life is a life of service, your life will be honored.” — Oprah Winfrey. So many people feel that they need to do something extravagant to be honored, but the biggest honor in life is the honor of serving others. Whether your acts of service are recognized and honored by a multitude or by just the people you serve, your life will be worth honoring.
10. “When at first you don’t succeed try, try again.” I’m sure someone has said this to you at some point in your life. It really rang true this month. Maybe you didn’t do as well on that midterm as you would have liked, but that doesn’t mean you give up. Move on and try, try again because you have it in you to reach your goals. And a small side note: An “A” isn’t everything — if you get a “B” or even a “C” on something but you put in a great amount of work and you learned something in the process, then accept that grade and move on. We have to realize that, especially now that we’re in college, poor grades do not make you a failure.
I’ve learned in the short time that I’ve been on this spinning ball of water and rock that when you come across wise words, you should take them to heart and try to live by them.
I hope these tidbits of wisdom help you as much as they helped me.
