Helpful quotes that help me avoid meltdowns as I get ready for my 7am class

College is a weird period of our lives. We are refreshing sites for our schools and bank accounts every day hoping to see more than a B and more than a couple of hundred dollars in them. We are not adults, but we are not kids either. 

We have to make big decisions like what are we going to do for the rest of our lives when we choose our major; and we have to learn how to manage our time because now we are starting to have little responsibilities like getting our first job, paying for our stuff. And all of this seems too much. 

I am in this phase of my life, and if you are reading this is because you are probably in it too! Trust me, it can be rough. Luckily, today I am here to help with a couple of quotes that have helped me through constant meltdowns almost every college student has before closing their laptop deciding if 3 hours of sleep will be enough. 

“Everyone smiles in the same language.” —George Carlin

We all have heard successful people say that one of the most important things in college and in life is networking. This means having the ability to relate to people of your field of study, to leave an imprint on them, and being able to have a meaningful conversation with almost everyone you meet.

Unfortunately, this can be very difficult for most of us to do naturally. I decided to work on this ability, and I came across this quote from an American comedian, who wisely noted that people are not going to remember what you said or what you did but how you made them feel.

So, next time you are in a new class or meeting full of people that you don’t know, a smile will be your perfect introduction. You will probably be wearing a mask following safety protocols due to COVID-19, but putting it into practice from now will be super helpful in the future, without masks!

“You jump, when you can afford to drown.” —Gary Vaynerchuk

It's very likely that you are in your early 20s at this time and that you don’t have any big responsibilities such as a house to maintain or children of your own. This is the perfect time to make mistakes and grow from them.

Don’t be afraid of changing majors, of learning and practicing hobbies you have never taken seriously, or becoming your own boss by setting up your business. This is when you can afford to take a no as an answer and to build your professional profile while educating yourself at the same time. Experience is all that you are going to take from being fearless. Change your mindset!

“Beginnings always hide themselves in ends.” —Mike Posner

Talking about people rejecting our ideas and shutting doors for our dreams. The song “Move On” by Mike Posner claims that disappointments are always a good opportunity to start over.

We are in college; we can have a lot of rejections. You failed a class or the university of your dreams dismissed your application. These can be seen as negative situations, as ends, but they can also be the perfect opportunity to organize your life, to discover your strengths as a person, to become a grounded human being who considers all of the opportunities available to them.

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.” —Carl Jung

I think there is nothing more trustful and real than someone that keeps their word. This can be in little things like submitting part of the group homework you said you were going to do, showing up to a study session at the time you said, helping your classmates as you said you were going to.

We say a lot of things to a lot of people, but you can choose to be one of the few that fulfills what they promise. This is a very healthy habit to have in the future. Who doesn’t want to do business or have a relationship with someone whose word is more powerful than a signed contract?

Also, this has been very hard for me to do, but I related it to my emotions, and I came up with a beautiful insight. I am working on actually doing what I say, feeling what I do, and being passionate about my future career by acknowledging out loud how I feel.

How much time am I worth to myself? 

It’s very important to check on ourselves to acknowledge all of our actions and feelings, that is an internal job and we are the only ones that can do it. Now we are talking about self-care.

We can easily get caught up on our assignments and studying for exams. This can distract us from thinking about ourselves. Therefore, this is the perfect time to establish boundaries and decide on how much time we deserve to rest or to create memorable experiences overall. What do you say… 30 min a day? A nice bath every night? A FaceTime call to a loved one? There are so many ways, you decide!

I really hope you can put one of these into practice, they will prepare you for the real world later on! There is nothing to be afraid of about changing your mindset if you know who you are, what you believe, and where you came from. Good luck!

Micaela Baquero is a 19-year-old currently pursuing her engineering degree at Santa Rosa Junior College in California.