As I am heading into midterms, I have realized that personal responsibility is a huge aspect of college life. Teachers expect us to be self-motivated and to be prepared for what they throw at us. As much as they want us to pass the test, the student is the only one that actually has the ability to make that happen. In the same regard, life drops struggles off at our doorstep and we are expected to be prepared for them. We are expected to be prepared. I don't think I need to elaborate on that because it is ingrained by our family, mentors, Sunday school teachers, church leaders, etc. We know what we need to do to be prepared for life's challenges, it is up to us to do them.
I haven't had the best attitude about all these tests I have had to deal with in college. I feel like I am spending all my time preparing for the next test. I've found myself complaining a lot this week because I have spent so much time studying that I hardly have time for anything else. I just recently had an "ah ha" moment and thought about the purpose of a test. A test is given to help us learn. We learn as we study and prepare; we learn about ourselves as we take the test and how to prepare better next time; we also learn that we will get out of a test just as much as we put into it. I've tried to really absorb this idea into my mind so that I can have a positive attitude about midterms this coming week. I am in college to learn and ready myself for a future career. No one is forcing me to be there, I chose to go to college to better myself. Remember, we chose these life tests as well. Believe it or not, we all wanted them.
We are supposed to welcome these trials with open arms and a positive attitude. If we have confidence in ourselves and the preparation that we have made, we can pass any test that is thrown our way. Teachers are not going to give a test that can't be passed(at least we hope) so why would we expect any different from life. One of the greatest things that teachers try to tell us is to have a positive attitude that we can succeed. I took a test yesterday and the teacher wrote this on the board:
"Words of Encouragement - I passed the test!"
She wanted us to believe in ourselves and all the preparation we had made prior to the test. I smiled and realized that our attitude makes all the difference. And guess what? The test seemed a whole lot easier after that. Our instinct is to want to associate negative thoughts with trials and challenges and changing our mindset is hard, believe me, I know. I was once told that if I could achieve this paradigm shift with the way I look at certain things, then life would not necessarily be easier, but it would seem that way and I would be much happier in the process. I saw a quote today and I found it helpful:
"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." - Henry David Thoreau
Life is about being prepared for the burdens that will surely come, having a positive attitude when they arrive, and learning something in the process.
