Throughout my life, I’ve always felt the desire for progress. The desire to move forward with my life and accomplish my goals. In high school, this was quite easy. Structured classes, one building, familiar teachers and peers and every year it felt as if I was moving up a level to the next. In post-secondary however, 120 credits felt like an unachievable milestone. After an exhausting and lonely first semester, I thought to myself, “Wow, all this work for 12 credits”. I needed to repeat that process 10 more times. 10 more grueling semesters. As months went by, it felt as if I wasn’t progressing. I felt that I was stagnant in my life and all my goals seemed so far out of reach. I started to get unmotivated and took fewer courses which only increased the problem.
This all changed when I transferred to SFU. It felt like a new chapter in my life and I decided that I would stop looking at the big picture and focus on one assignment and one exam at a time. Letting go of the overwhelming need to succeed allowed me to enjoy the process of achieving my goals. I became more motivated to study, started taking on a heavier courseload and joined clubs and student associations. After what felt like a few days, I’m currently 2 more semesters from graduating and I have my newfound attitude to thank for this. Of course, my journey is not over yet. I plan on attending law school after my degree and I hope to implement this same attitude there as well. If any of you reading this are facing similar struggles, remember to celebrate the small achievements, take life one day at a time, and know that you are closer to your goals than you think!