With finals rapidly approaching on the horizon and stress levels running high, it is important to keep in mind that noone is expected to be perfect. I've recently rediscovered one of my favorite inspirational videos, an interview between Will Smith and Charlie Rose. In it, Smith drops one of my all time favorite quotes:
"You don't set out to build a wall. You don't say 'I'm going to build the biggest, baddest, greatest wall that's ever been built.' You don't start there. You say, 'I'm going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid. You do that every single day. And soon you have a wall.'"
In the hectic college world that generally revolves around results that are determined by big events I like to think of as "wall moments" (exams, essays, etc.), it's important to remember all of the time that passes in between. I can't count the number of times I've tried to "build my wall" during a caffeine-fueled all-nighter, but I've learned it doesn't work too well.
It's easy to get caught up in any of the distractions that college has to offer, but that's why it's important to be the best "you" you can be for each and every day. Motivation comes and goes like a wave. When our motivation is high, we often set unrealistically optimistic goals. We all know the Sunday night pep-talk of: "I'm feeling really motivated right now, so I'm going to wake up early every day this week and go to the gym!" Then, the alarm goes off on Monday morning, and an extra hour of sleep sounds an awful lot more appealing than dragging our tired selves to the gym. This creates a negative loop. Nobody enjoys failure, and since we failed one day, we opt to save ourselves further disappointment by abandoning the goal all together.
This is where a shift in thinking can be immensely valuable. We can't change the past and we don't know what the future will be like, but we do have control over our actions today. You have to let yourself make mistakes if you want to learn anything, so forgive yourself for yesterday's failures and apply the lessons they taught you to the present. Focus on doing the best you can do for each day rather than trying to make huge leaps and bounds. Whether that means spending an extra ten minutes in the library or getting to the gym for that 30-minute workout that you've been skipping, you'll be amazed at how much better you feel for it at the end of the day.
The best part of all this? It gets easier each time you do it. We're only human and everyone will have their setbacks, but if you start each day fresh with the plan to be your best self for that given day, you'll wake up a week later and be amazed by the progress you have made. Get out there and lay those bricks perfectly!
