Soul Searching and the Next Chapter, Part 3
Over the past few months, I thought I would write this long-awaited post. Part 1 and Part 2 are hyperlinked within this post, so jump in and read them to see the journey.
Two years after I wrote these two posts, I went on a huge journey to discover things about myself I never thought about. I learned about health and love. I learned about vulnerability. I learned about trust. I learned about the importance of keeping touch with people in a healthier way. I also realized that people have multifaceted personalities. The other day, it really hit me. There really is no such thing as old Jess. Nor is there any such thing as new Jess. I'm just me, Jess. And I'm evolving as a person. While I believe that God can change a person, the biggest strides in life are that the person takes steps to change. Maturation did not really happen overnight. Some of the biggest lessons I've learned in the past two years are some of the most challenging things I had to learn.
As I've gotten older, I gained an understanding on why academics are not the only component on success in professional life. Networking is a key component to success whether you are going to be a teacher, lawyer, public relations professional, journalist, entrepreneur, writer, etc., and how you treat people matters. Last year, I went to the fall information section at the University of Kentucky College of Law. The key takeaway I learned was that sometimes, a person with a higher GPA gets passed over for an externship opportunity than a person with a lower GPA. It's how you treat people and how you approach school that matters much more.
I used to think of everything as a competition, how to get higher GPAs, higher test scores, etc, than the next person. That mindset does not get anyone far. A lawyer, a teacher, an administrator, or any other professional will see right through it. That mindset weeds people out of professional programs quicker than you realize. Being ambitious only left me feeling pretty empty at the end of the day. At Union, I didn't get any awards on Honors Convocation related to my major until my senior year. The only reason why I even got an award, let alone two, also has everything to do with the demonstration of maturity. If there is any competition, the only person I was, and still am competing with is myself. The Literature Award was what I did not expect to get, but I did, and it's something I'm proud of.
But I digress. There will always be people who do things in a competitive way. There will always be people who think their way is the right way. You don't control how people act. You control only how you act. I hope that when we do react to difficult people, that we choose to respond proactively. People will see it. That doesn't mean we have to please them, but how we respond to difficult people matters.
Two years after I wrote these two posts, I went on a huge journey to discover things about myself I never thought about. I learned about health and love. I learned about vulnerability. I learned about trust. I learned about the importance of keeping touch with people in a healthier way. I also realized that people have multifaceted personalities. The other day, it really hit me. There really is no such thing as old Jess. Nor is there any such thing as new Jess. I'm just me, Jess. And I'm evolving as a person. While I believe that God can change a person, the biggest strides in life are that the person takes steps to change. Maturation did not really happen overnight. Some of the biggest lessons I've learned in the past two years are some of the most challenging things I had to learn.
As I've gotten older, I gained an understanding on why academics are not the only component on success in professional life. Networking is a key component to success whether you are going to be a teacher, lawyer, public relations professional, journalist, entrepreneur, writer, etc., and how you treat people matters. Last year, I went to the fall information section at the University of Kentucky College of Law. The key takeaway I learned was that sometimes, a person with a higher GPA gets passed over for an externship opportunity than a person with a lower GPA. It's how you treat people and how you approach school that matters much more.
I used to think of everything as a competition, how to get higher GPAs, higher test scores, etc, than the next person. That mindset does not get anyone far. A lawyer, a teacher, an administrator, or any other professional will see right through it. That mindset weeds people out of professional programs quicker than you realize. Being ambitious only left me feeling pretty empty at the end of the day. At Union, I didn't get any awards on Honors Convocation related to my major until my senior year. The only reason why I even got an award, let alone two, also has everything to do with the demonstration of maturity. If there is any competition, the only person I was, and still am competing with is myself. The Literature Award was what I did not expect to get, but I did, and it's something I'm proud of.
But I digress. There will always be people who do things in a competitive way. There will always be people who think their way is the right way. You don't control how people act. You control only how you act. I hope that when we do react to difficult people, that we choose to respond proactively. People will see it. That doesn't mean we have to please them, but how we respond to difficult people matters.
Comments
Post a Comment