My name is Anezka, and I am from the Czech Republic. I am an only child and let me tell you, moving across the world alone was not easy. But it was worth it.
Moving has taught me that the real meaning of life is family, love, health and happiness. There is nothing that matters more than that, and we cannot take our precious time to worry about little meaningless things.
My dream since I was in middle school was to study in California. However, when the application process came around, I wasn’t sure if I wanted that anymore. It just felt way too far.
Now looking back, it was worth the risk. Everything really does happen for a reason.
I am lucky to say that I have grown up in a supportive environment with my mom and dad. To be honest, I barely had moments of struggle thanks to my parents’ unconditional love and support. They are those kinds of parents that do anything for their child.
As my dad has always said, “If your life feels easy all the time, what are you even learning? Are you developing as a person? You need struggles and risks to make your life interesting, fun and different.”
This is exactly why it was so important for me to be thrown into the real world, alone. It has been the best learning experience I have ever gotten.
Moving taught me to appreciate the great relationship I have with my mom and dad. It has taught me to appreciate a bathtub. It has taught me to appreciate the privacy of my room. It has taught me to appreciate having a kitchen instead of just a microwave. It has taught me to appreciate Czech people, as rude as they can be.
To be successful, you have to be uncomfortable. You have to be sad or angry once in a while because as we all know, life is not a fantasy full of sparkles, cupcakes and unicorns.
I learned to not make a big deal out of that high school break up or a bad grade in economics. Instead, I tell myself, “You know what, that happened for a reason. It has taught me a great lesson that I never have to experience again. Anezka, your life is way too short for you to be stressing about this. Be happy that you and your family are healthy, happy and full of love.”
When going through a stressful time, I always try to imagine that moment on a timeline of my life. After doing that, I usually realize the moment I am going through is so little and insignificant that I can’t even see it.
These are some of the things I have learned from taking the biggest and riskiest step in my life. I am happy to say I finally feel like I have full control of my life.
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Email Anezka Liskova: anezka.liskova@pepperdine.edu
