Today is my first college exam (shoutout to Econ 1) and in the process of studying for this horrendous seven chapter situation from hell, I'd like to quickly say that despite whatever my teacher says, this is not considered a quiz for normal people.
That's the thing about college. Everything is different... School is different, friendships are different, life is overall just different from how it is in high school. The only thing that makes being successful at the transition from high school to college is feeling confident and capable and making the most out of even extremely uncertain situations. Ever since I've been at school, I feel like my first reaction to everything has been to question if I'm doing something right, saying the right thing, wearing the right thing, etc. All this week I've been questioning if I'm studying the right way or studying the right material. At the end of the day, worrying about if I'm doing it all wrong would just be a waste of my time; being confident that I'm preparing myself in the best way possible, being confident that I'm doing okay at the college thing in general is what gets me through.
When you're worried, you're focused on the future. When you're complacent and accepting of what you're doing and how you're doing it, you're focused on the present.
Focus on the present. Live in the moment. Feel confident in the decisions you make, and if that's not possible, make adjustments so you can reach that point. Feeling confident doesn't have to result from certainty that you're right, it just means faking it until you make it, or until you're at least comfortable with where you're at. The thing is, no one is perfect and there isn't one right way to do things. There definitely isn't an easy way to succeed when you're too worried about failing because making those mistakes and not being afraid to fail is how you ultimately finding the solution to uncertainty.
The answers to questions reveal themselves in strange ways. It sounds backwards, but it makes sense. It's like Thomas Edison figuring out the lightbulb! Try and try and try until you get it right, no matter how long or how many tries it takes to get somewhere. Never lose sight or lose confidence in yourself and the belief that eventually, you'll hit the point of success.
Fake it until you make it, be confident even when you're unsure of yourself, and good luck to everyone taking midterms!
xoxo
