I'm doing 43 things
The most crucial thing for me going from a 1.93 GPA with the threat of academic probation to a 3.98 GPA with a significant number of honors under my belt was finding the right support group of mentors and friends who believed in me and kept me going whenever I started to doubt my abilities – and having enough humility to admit that I needed that support. The humility was the absolute hardest part of all. It also took a lot of diligence – I spent two whole summers studying MATH. It was a class I’d received an F in twice, and a D the third time I had taken it previous to those two grueling summers. I went on to not only earn an A the fourth time I took that same class, but felt so much more capable that I tackled two math classes at once the following semester, and completed one of those two classes within the first two weeks of the semester. (It was a self-paced class.) I love knowing that my fear of math has been vanquished. The only bad part about that is that I have more career choices open to me now that I don’t freak out over math. Darn. Guess I’m off to find a “I want to find my dream job” list!
AlexandraPride's Life List
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1. find meaning
93 people -
2. be more confident
11,463 people -
3. be more positive
2,640 people -
4. be self-sufficient
209 people -
5. have more patience
777 people -
6. stop being a control freak
32 people -
7. go with the flow
91 people -
8. Be Focused And Determined And Make Things Happen
343 people -
9. be a better listener
789 people -
10. Establish a healthier relationship with myself.
45 people -
11. be comfortable with being alone
81 people -
12. not let any more opportunities pass me by
65 people -
13. live simply
3,287 people -
14. feel understood on a deep level
143 people -
15. see the beauty in everything and be more appreciative
8 people -
16. Call my friends more often.
237 people -
17. Have a little bit of pointless fun every day
139 people -
18. Do something new every month
777 people -
19. learn to forgive
462 people -
20. Become less afraid of failure and allow myself the room to make mistakes
79 people -
21. improve my memory
1,341 people -
22. Learn how to remember peoples' names
1,715 people -
23. manage my time well
29 people -
24. Finish things I start
192 people -
25. find my passion, and follow it passionately
126 people -
26. find my dream job
450 people -
27. drink more water
20,326 people -
28. tone my body
837 people -
29. have better posture
8,147 people -
30. Never stop learning
4,106 people -
31. finish college
3,513 people -
32. sing well
126 people -
33. Learn Japanese
10,615 people -
34. study abroad
2,555 people -
35. live in San Francisco
393 people -
36. live in Europe
1,263 people -
37. get a Japanese Spitz
1 person -
38. Practice Yoga
4,281 people -
39. be photogenic
53 people -
40. Become a model
2,071 people -
41. dance like shakira
173 people -
42. be a millionaire
765 people -
43. Go to St. John's college
2 cheers9 people
I used to dread being in the same room with a stranger. The silence that would accompany it was so uncomfortable. Over the past few years, however, I’ve come to relish those moments, for I’ve come to realize that I do love to meet people and get to know them better. This new and refreshing mentality has turned those awkward silences into opportunities for me to make new friends. Genuine interest in getting to know the person is key to having a stellar conversation that ends in a phone number, email, or MySpace username exchange and conversations galore to follow. I’ve had times when small talk somehow morphed into hours-long conversations, and I especially love it when I would be chatting with a stranger for just a few minutes and others later ask if we were close friends because the atmosphere between us feels so relaxed and open. It’s a great compliment to me when that happens! Now if I only had better memory so I could remember the names of everyone I befriend and not get people – or conversations – mixed up! O.o
