There comes a time in everyone's life when they look back on an experience and go “Wow, I wish I would've known this back then”. For this month's Talk Blog, I asked WSUM to take some time to think about one or two things they really wished they would have known a while ago. I hope what WSUM shared can help you avoid what they went through!
Organized by Darion Allen, WSUM Talk Director
Que Será Será
After spending years in high school and almost one in college, I've learned a few lessons that I wish my younger self had known. The most important one is to take things less seriously in life and go with the flow. I used to spend hours fretting over small assignments or random drama but have realized that doing this is a waste of time when I can just choose to relax. I don't mean I shouldn't work hard or pursue my goals but can do so without being distracted by factors outside of my control. Realizing this idea of “Que Será Será”–my sister's favorite phrase that means “What Will Be, Will Be”–was powerful because I can work towards my dreams without worrying about failure. Most problems can be dealt with using this simple phrase, and my younger self would have benefited from being more carefree in daily life.
– Will Romano
The Taste of Fun
As a freshman, there were quite a few things expected heading into this covid-altered school year: classes were going to be online, things were going to be shut down, and making friends was probably going to quite difficult. However, one thing that NO ONE mentioned or even thought to tell us for some ridiculous reason I'm sure I'll never know, was that there were not going to be ANY Capri-Suns in the dining hall. Sometimes all a fella wants is a nice crisp Pacific Cooler Capri-Sun but nope, even such a simple pleasure has been snatched away from us by the jaws of the establishment. Frankly, I find this lack of delicious pouched beverages to be asinine and disappointing. Put simply the University just needs to do a better job at letting us know about these things ahead of time so we aren't as flabbergasted, thank you.
– Riley J
NOBODY CARES
Honestly, they really don't! I wish someone would've shouted those two words at me for the entirety of the awkward mess that was puberty. Do you remember when you saw that one person trip on the sidewalk, or when someone else shouted across the street to a friend? If you do, congratulations because my memory sucks! We become so wrapped up in sweating over what other people see or think when they look at us that we can't ~live our truth~. We've already spent the last year covered by literal masks; there's no need to sacrifice living comfortably for living what is considered “normal.” (just don't do anything creepy or illegal in public)
– Emily Takacs
Life Goes On
Something I used to battle with a lot was blowing things out of proportion and stressing over things that really did not need as much attention as I was giving them. This resulted in me exerting way too much energy, losing sleep, and developing unhealthy habits to deal with the things I was going through. I couldn't pinpoint the time when this realization hit me but more recently I have better understood that life goes on. In most cases, no one is going to die over the day to day decisions we all make and everything can be figured out to some degree. One thing that has drastically helped me is the 72-hour rule. This rule states that one should not worry about something in the present if that same something would not worry them three days from the present. This could also be interpreted as one should not think too deeply about things to occur more than 72 hours from the present as it is too far to effectively do anything about. All in all, the principles behind all of these shared sentiments is that no matter what, time will continue progress and life will always go on through whatever is bothering you in the moment.
– D Allen
Making Grades
I wish someone had told me before college that it was just as important to focus on making A's outside of the classroom as it was inside of the classroom. Too many times, I sacrificed my health, relationships and mental well-being to keep up in class. As long as I “made grades,” everything else would be “okay.” Essentially, life took a back seat—a misguided approach. One should never abandon their well-being to rack up accolades. The only way to make the A grades count is if you are healthy, holistically. Physical, mental and relationship health need to be at the forefront. I wish someone had said “you don't carry a report card around after graduation, but you do carry your health, sleep patterns, relationships and emotional intelligence.” It is not just your documented intelligence.
– Rebecca Perla
