I have just received my first semester results from university. Even after almost failing my midterms I manage to bounce back and string together straight A minuses. Now I'm here at the end of the mid semester break; I'm ready to start the next semester, but how did I get here? Did I bring myself here? Did the me now, help me get to this point in time. I am certainly not the same person I was a few months ago, and I have to give that guy some credit. In fact, I have to give all the past me's some credit. Are you confused yet? Get ready for some new age gratitude as I reflect on the seeds of the past and bask in the consequences.
Now we all hear the phrase, "I'm not the person I used to be". Usually we take that as someone overcoming circumstances and becoming a better person. However, is it possible for the situation to be reversed? Could you have becoming a worse person than you used to be? Of course. We all make mistakes. We all develop bad habits. Sometimes life goes downhill because you made some bad decisions. I have made said decisions, but somehow I'm still living a good life. How is that so? What are the things that keep us from totally falling face down on our mistakes? It comes down two key things: the hours you've slaved beforehand; and the support of the people around you.
Working Hard Early Gives You a Safety Net
I'd like to thank the me of early June. That person saw the error in his ways and slaved away for ages in order to give himself a shot at recovering from a failed mid term. However, the me before then was also the guy who decided not to study and set himself up to fail. The me before then was a hard working first year eager to learn and go hard at all his papers. The big reason for how I achieved my A minuses was the fact that I had given university my everything early in the year. I had passed all my coursework with flying colours, and that provided a good buffer for my exam despite the near failures.
Before I take on a task I always have the idea that it will be the hardest thing I have ever tried in my life. When I've got through it and ace it at every corner I hold back and start underestimating everything. This produces a cycle of great achievements and great failures. This is not a good way to live life. You should always try your best at whatever you do. That is the best way to ensure a good chance of living a great life. The only reason why I am in university with a fully paid scholarship is that fact that my Year 12 self was really hard working. He had something to prove, something to strive for, a purpose. My Year 13 self had achieved all the goals he had set out. He was taking life easy and didn't really care about his studies. He would have spiralled down into a very annoying life at university had it not been for his earlier counterpart.
You can not say, "I'm the one who got myself here." Sure it's a good motivational tool, but it's not entirely accurate. The person you are now is not the person who got you here. The people you were before are the ones to thank, or they are the ones to blame. I'm glad that my past selves made great decisions and did wonderful things. I could not be where I am if it weren't for them. Now if you're reading this and your previous selves were not so wonderful then here are my words of advice:
"Hindsight is wonderful, but don't dwell on the past. Instead of working backwards, strive on forwards. You want your future self to be thankful for the safety net you've provided them!"
Surrounding Yourself With Support
I'm sure you've detected the self flattery I've been giving myself throughout the post. I'm not ashamed to be proud of myself. In the end, life is mostly all about you. However, there are also these things hanging on the sidelines known as your friends and family. You turn to them when you can't do anything more to help yourself. In my life, my friends and family didn't play the role of clean up crew, but instead they made sure to give me loads of opportunities to better myself and develop my curious, friendly, and determined personality. I am glad they gave me a firm foundation to build off of.
If you're in a bad place at the moment, take some time to duke it out with your mates. They'll provide you with the support you need to get you through the metaphorical night. However, make sure you hang out with the right kind of friends. You want a good and supportive environment of flowers and unicorns. Not a room full of sarcastic comments and sharp humour. Sure that might work when you're happy, but it can be damaging when you're down.
Now I've said a lot about using your friends as a recovery plan, but they can be so much more than that. Surrounding yourself with great individuals can inspire you and motivate you to going further along the right path. If you're not exceedingly awesome enough to be your own safety net, then let others take the load for you. I hear it works quite well, or at least that's what I learnt in university. In the same way, you might even be an inspiration to someone right now! That's right, you could be changing someones life because of how awesome you are. So be a good example! No pressure, of course.
So what do you think? Do you think of your past selves as different people? Are you thankful of the what they've done? Do you owe a lot of your success to those around you? Let me know in the comments!
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