14 Things We Should All Strive to Be | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

14 Things We Should All Strive to Be

And it's not "pretty."

476
14 Things We Should All Strive to Be

It has become difficult in today's world to remember who we are as people, not as figures or appearances. Many of us see nothing but our flaws in the mirror, complaining about places on our body that we wish were smaller or toned; cursing our hair for not doing the things we want it to; cringing at a new pimple. In the end, these are not the things people see: they are not the qualities about us that, as much as we criticize of ourselves, are visible. It is our character that continues to count. There are one million things we could be that don't include a trait attributed to looks. Below, you'll find a few of those many.

1. Positive

Project those happy thoughts. Smile. Breathe.

2. Inviting

Say hello. Make new friends. Put others at ease.

3. Daring

Take great leaps of faith. Do things you don't believe are possible. The world knows no bounds.

4. Adventurous

Travel. Let the cultures of the world soak up every last inch of you.

5. Grateful

Never forget those gifts in your life and everything that has happened up to this point. You are alive. You are beautiful. You are here because of other people and other experiences. Remember them.

6. Curious

Engage with the people, the books, the places, the things around and beyond. Never stop asking questions. Don't take anything as final, concrete.

7. Confident

I mean, we're here for a reason, right? Those things that you love, those things you are good at, those things that would give life less meaning? Keep them close and run with them. If you're good, you're good. Don't let dreams be brushed aside by yourself or others.

8. Humble

But don't let yourself become too wrapped up by those perceptions. There will always be obstacles, and if you are knocked down it means you have to pick yourself up without falter. Embrace your talents but don't let them oversweep you.

9. Kind

Love is the root of all things: let it guide you. Spread kindness.

10. Open-minded

Don't close yourself off to others, opportunities or beaten paths. They may lead to lifelong friends, careers you never thought you would love or experiences you couldn't now imagine your life without.

11. Hard working

Don't settle for anything less than your best work. Only put out into the world what you are insanely proud of. You will climb the ladder of success happily and quickly with a strong work ethic.

12. Passionate

This goes hand-in-hand with hard working: love what you do and do what you love. Nothing can stop you when your heart is in it.

13. Forgiving

Let go of the past's pain. Don't let it tether you to one place or time. Grudges only waste energy that could be spent towards other beautiful aspects of your life.

14. Happy

Above all, love the life you have carved out for yourself and know that nothing is permanent. Things can always and will always get better. Trust in yourself: live. Be happy.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1536
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1026
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

243
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1651
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments