It’s hard to imagine 2021 is coming to an end, and while we’re excited for the new year to begin, there are many components of this year we’ll not forget. I feel 2021 was a considerable improvement compared to 2020 and 2019. There were so many changes in my life within those two years that I struggled physically and mentally. Of course, I had a good amount of struggles in 2021, but the two years prior have tested my limits (If you’re curious about what I mean, please check out the About Me page, “How COVID-19 Changed my Life”, and “Change” blogs). Even though 2021 became a better year for me, I still struggled with conflicts regarding responsibilities, decisions, and personal life choices. Here are a few lessons I’d like to share, and hopefully, they will benefit you as we head into 2022.
1. Learning not to Judge but Listen
I know I’ve written a blog, “Learning Not to Judge,” but we need to be reminded of it often. In our society, we live in a world where we could easily judge others based on their appearances and who they are as a person. While we can disagree on things we don’t like, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t like them because their beliefs and actions don’t align with ours. Sometimes it’s best to keep it to yourself and focus on your priorities. It is also essential to have God in the center of everything we do because it will keep us in a peaceful mindset and not to judge, but to listen to others. If I happen to disagree with something that a person says or does, I try to listen and reflect on their way of thinking so I can have a better understanding of their perspective and who they are.
2. Making Decisions
Making decisions is challenging and can be overwhelming. There were many tough decisions this year where I had to make sacrifices to keep myself at peace and know what is beneficial for me and where God wants for my life. Even a small decision could be difficult, like finding time to exercise in the middle of a busy day or limiting the amount of screen time on your phone; we tend to quickly stay away from those good life choices which can affect us in the long run. Every little choice counts and will be beneficial for significant decisions in the future. Earlier this year, I had to make a significant decision regarding what school I will be attending this past fall. It brought a tremendous amount of stress to my well-being and struggled to make up my mind. Not going to get into too much detail, but I was accepted to this program that would change my life in the long run. I decided to decline it mainly because I felt it wasn’t a good time, considering I was still enrolled at Misericordia. I also have been through so many changes where I felt staying in the school I am in right now would be best. Not saying change isn’t good, but too much of a change can be overwhelming and lead to more stress. Maybe I will share this story in more detail one day, but we’ll see as time passes.
3. Running is Not Everything
I know many of you may not be runners, but it can be relatable in any general situation. Being a student-athlete is great, and having opportunities to compete does help you become motivated and cheerful, but one thing that all student-athletes should know is it shouldn’t be your number one focus. Of course, playing the sport is a great feeling to have and can help relieve yourself from anxiety from schoolwork and exams, but it shouldn’t take away from your academic performance. Education comes before athletics and shouldn’t be the other way around. That is what I do enjoy because you still are involved in a team aspect, but at the same time, your enrollment relies on how well you do in school. During this year, I took my athletics first and lowered my GPA significantly, where I focused so much on improving as an athlete than my education. This became a major issue because, in the long run, the main reason I am enrolled is to get the degree and get a job with that degree, but this past spring, I struggled to see that. If I focus too much on my running, my education becomes less serious, making it difficult to keep the GPA where it needs to be. The overall message is to know that your sports shouldn’t take up all of your focus because it will result in an unsuccessful outcome regarding your education. Of course, running is something I love doing and will tend to do throughout my life, but having competition will not always be there, and I have to focus on my life first. Athletics is something you can always look back on, and it’s great to have the opportunities to compete, but at the same time, academics are more important. This past fall, I came to that realization and strived for that higher GPA, which I have successfully achieved and will continue doing for upcoming semesters.
4. Finding Time to Relax
Life is always busy, especially in early adulthood. Sometimes we forget that we are human and need to take a break once in a while. I tend to forget that mainly because I like keeping myself busy. While it is true being busy can keep you motivated, there are times you need to relax and not worry about the obligations you need to achieve. We are not robots, and sometimes our minds can think like that, but in reality, we are only humans, and taking breaks is
vital to keep yourself stable.
5. Finding time to be around Family and Friends
There are many times throughout the year that I find myself “too busy” to hang out with family and friends. It is easy to make excuses saying that we are too busy, but it simply isn’t true at times. We can be lazy and use the word “busy” as another way of saying that we don’t feel like hanging out. Of course, it’s important to have time to be alone, but we use too much alone time, leading to isolation. I have moments where I don’t want to be bothered and spend time just watching youtube videos, but I am trying to get into the habit of being around others more. I can be very introverted, which isn’t bad, but I need to connect with people more often than now.
6. Make Prayer your Number One Priority
Prayer is very important to me, and it can sometimes be a struggle, especially on days where we tend to be busy. Often, we are distracted by the material things we have in this world where we say we are too busy to pray, but it is not always true. This year tested me to find time to be with God and find peace in everything I do in life. Whether it is schoolwork, running, writing my blog, etc; I tend to forget that God is the One who gave me these abilities, and if I don’t spend time to be with the Lord, I get confused about what I am doing. Of course, prayer is not always easy, but what I recommend for many is to find at least 20 minutes of your day to pray so you can listen to God and figure out His will for your life to be successful.
Overall, all of these lessons strengthened me to be the person I am today, and I am glad I developed these strategies to guide me to the new year of 2022. As we prepare for our new year’s resolutions, it’s important to understand our past experiences in previous years to better ourselves for years to come. I am excited to see where this year leads and hopefully will become even better than 2021. God bless you, and happy new year! I hope you all had a safe and Merry Christmas and hope for the best in 2022.
1. Learning not to Judge but Listen
I know I’ve written a blog, “Learning Not to Judge,” but we need to be reminded of it often. In our society, we live in a world where we could easily judge others based on their appearances and who they are as a person. While we can disagree on things we don’t like, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t like them because their beliefs and actions don’t align with ours. Sometimes it’s best to keep it to yourself and focus on your priorities. It is also essential to have God in the center of everything we do because it will keep us in a peaceful mindset and not to judge, but to listen to others. If I happen to disagree with something that a person says or does, I try to listen and reflect on their way of thinking so I can have a better understanding of their perspective and who they are.
2. Making Decisions
Making decisions is challenging and can be overwhelming. There were many tough decisions this year where I had to make sacrifices to keep myself at peace and know what is beneficial for me and where God wants for my life. Even a small decision could be difficult, like finding time to exercise in the middle of a busy day or limiting the amount of screen time on your phone; we tend to quickly stay away from those good life choices which can affect us in the long run. Every little choice counts and will be beneficial for significant decisions in the future. Earlier this year, I had to make a significant decision regarding what school I will be attending this past fall. It brought a tremendous amount of stress to my well-being and struggled to make up my mind. Not going to get into too much detail, but I was accepted to this program that would change my life in the long run. I decided to decline it mainly because I felt it wasn’t a good time, considering I was still enrolled at Misericordia. I also have been through so many changes where I felt staying in the school I am in right now would be best. Not saying change isn’t good, but too much of a change can be overwhelming and lead to more stress. Maybe I will share this story in more detail one day, but we’ll see as time passes.
3. Running is Not Everything
I know many of you may not be runners, but it can be relatable in any general situation. Being a student-athlete is great, and having opportunities to compete does help you become motivated and cheerful, but one thing that all student-athletes should know is it shouldn’t be your number one focus. Of course, playing the sport is a great feeling to have and can help relieve yourself from anxiety from schoolwork and exams, but it shouldn’t take away from your academic performance. Education comes before athletics and shouldn’t be the other way around. That is what I do enjoy because you still are involved in a team aspect, but at the same time, your enrollment relies on how well you do in school. During this year, I took my athletics first and lowered my GPA significantly, where I focused so much on improving as an athlete than my education. This became a major issue because, in the long run, the main reason I am enrolled is to get the degree and get a job with that degree, but this past spring, I struggled to see that. If I focus too much on my running, my education becomes less serious, making it difficult to keep the GPA where it needs to be. The overall message is to know that your sports shouldn’t take up all of your focus because it will result in an unsuccessful outcome regarding your education. Of course, running is something I love doing and will tend to do throughout my life, but having competition will not always be there, and I have to focus on my life first. Athletics is something you can always look back on, and it’s great to have the opportunities to compete, but at the same time, academics are more important. This past fall, I came to that realization and strived for that higher GPA, which I have successfully achieved and will continue doing for upcoming semesters.
4. Finding Time to Relax
Life is always busy, especially in early adulthood. Sometimes we forget that we are human and need to take a break once in a while. I tend to forget that mainly because I like keeping myself busy. While it is true being busy can keep you motivated, there are times you need to relax and not worry about the obligations you need to achieve. We are not robots, and sometimes our minds can think like that, but in reality, we are only humans, and taking breaks is
vital to keep yourself stable.
5. Finding time to be around Family and Friends
There are many times throughout the year that I find myself “too busy” to hang out with family and friends. It is easy to make excuses saying that we are too busy, but it simply isn’t true at times. We can be lazy and use the word “busy” as another way of saying that we don’t feel like hanging out. Of course, it’s important to have time to be alone, but we use too much alone time, leading to isolation. I have moments where I don’t want to be bothered and spend time just watching youtube videos, but I am trying to get into the habit of being around others more. I can be very introverted, which isn’t bad, but I need to connect with people more often than now.
6. Make Prayer your Number One Priority
Prayer is very important to me, and it can sometimes be a struggle, especially on days where we tend to be busy. Often, we are distracted by the material things we have in this world where we say we are too busy to pray, but it is not always true. This year tested me to find time to be with God and find peace in everything I do in life. Whether it is schoolwork, running, writing my blog, etc; I tend to forget that God is the One who gave me these abilities, and if I don’t spend time to be with the Lord, I get confused about what I am doing. Of course, prayer is not always easy, but what I recommend for many is to find at least 20 minutes of your day to pray so you can listen to God and figure out His will for your life to be successful.
Overall, all of these lessons strengthened me to be the person I am today, and I am glad I developed these strategies to guide me to the new year of 2022. As we prepare for our new year’s resolutions, it’s important to understand our past experiences in previous years to better ourselves for years to come. I am excited to see where this year leads and hopefully will become even better than 2021. God bless you, and happy new year! I hope you all had a safe and Merry Christmas and hope for the best in 2022.