Introduction
For this blog, I wanted to learn about what people that have already gone through college would want to tell themselves if they were back in the same situation again. I know lots of people live with regrets they want to change. They feel like if they had the chance, they would be bolder or smarter in particular situations. In order to mitigate the feeling of regret in my life, I wanted to reach out to the University of Michigan faculty and ask them for one piece of advice they would tell their 20-year-old self. In this blog, I will be listing the quotes I was given by the Umich faculty and my thoughts on each of the quotes.
"Slow down, there is no hurry, you'll get where you are going plenty soon enough."
Everyone is always rushing to their goals and trying to get everywhere really fast. Let's say someone wants to become a Doctor - all their focus is on this goal, and they are always rushing to the next test or step in their career.. I think the advice here is trying to get us to slow down and enjoy the journey and not just the final destination. Lots of older people that have reached their goals always say to enjoy the process because that is where all the fun lies. For me, I think it is important to be more present and not think about either the past or the future in order to stay rooted and be able to take part in my own process.
"Respect anyone you interact with often so that you will not have "social obstacles"
In general, people move through life without realizing the consequences of small interactions. Small interactions are the start of everything meaningful between people. Building strong relationships is what makes our life special. If you close a person off, you miss out on everything that they contribute and ultimately form a barrier to a path that could have made your life better. Overall, I think this advice is just to be cognizant of every interaction you have with others and keep an open mind because you never know what kind of benefit you can have from just one person.
"I would definitely stress that while many things seem important in life (like school, work, etc.), the most important things are those related to the ultimate questions (my worldview) such as where did I come from, why am I here, what is my meaning/purpose, and where am I going?"
Finding a purpose for your life can make everything easier because you have something you can work towards. The Japanese have a word called Ikigai, meaning the reason for which you wake up in the morning. The most important thing isn’t school, work, and other things you do, it is your overall worldview like this faculty member stated. Before you die, you’re not going to think about small details like one particular test, you are going to think about who you were as a person and what kind of impact you left on the earth.
The last part of the quote talks about putting attention to things that aren’t important and how we should avoid this by centering our feelings on our goals. I think a lot of people’s problems come from putting their minds to everything all at once even if it doesn’t affect them. Some people are too focused on trying to solve every problem they encounter they end up with too many problems and no solutions. We as humans have to come to terms with the fact we don’t have infinite time and we can only devote so much time and energy on problems. Our mind can only process so much and our body can only do so much. We need to put our efforts towards what's important to us and not into things that just waste us away.
"life is strange and it is ok to do stupid things. This is how we grow. "
Making mistakes and failing is essential to success. Michael Jordan himself said that he failed so many times, and through those failures, he was able to adapt and become a better player. As long as one learns from their mistakes and takes action to prevent the same mistake from repeating, they will grow. I myself find this hard to do because sometimes I just want to completely avoid failure and not think about it because it is painful or embarrassing. However, if I want to grow I need to overcome these emotions and reflect, or else I’ll continue to make the same mistakes and remain the exact same person.
"Know and value your authentic self, but don't freeze yourself in time or miss opportunities for change through personal growth. Remember, just as much as you are a human being, you are also a human becoming"
I think this quote is focusing on your moral compass and not straying from it no matter what. However, not straying from your moral compass shouldn’t stop you from putting yourself in situations where you can exhibit growth as an individual. I like the last part of this piece of advice because it tells us that we are always changing and evolving. We aren’t just what we are (human beings), but we are forming into the person we are (human becoming). I think it is important to keep in mind that we are not a final product, and at any point in our lives we can change. Our paths aren’t linear and there is no destination; we might think we are a complete person, but since there is no definition for what that is, it leaves us with infinite room to grow.
" Believe in your ability, and grab any opportunities that come your way with both hands. Failure is not to be feared, for if you do not try, you will never succeed."
I believe that if you fake having confidence you have confidence. From an outside perspective no one can tell you’re faking it and just believe you’re a confident person. The beginning of this advice is to believe in yourself and grab any opportunity. It is important to not just sit around and wait for something to come your way. Seeking out opportunities will allow for more doors to open that will lead to even more opportunities. So basically the process of looking for something will lead you to something even if it isn’t exactly what you’re looking for. The second part of the advice touches on failure similar to another piece of advice stated previously. Overcoming failure and recognizing fear as just a belief is the first step toward success. If you’re never dwelling on how scary something is and just act, you're already that much closer to your goal.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed reading and writing about all the advice I received from the faculty at the University of Michigan. Some were similar and some were different, which I thought was thought-provoking. I hope anyone who reads this finds these pieces of advice helpful and if you have any quotes you want to add please feel free to email me at theuerkj@umich.edu. I aspire to live my life to the fullest and learn from anyone and everything. Thank you to everyone who provided inspirational quotes.
Published: 1/25/23