What would you tell your former self going through the highs and lows of university? Things would be different if you were going through the challenges of the past with the experience and mental strength you have now. Perhaps you find yourself still thinking about the opportunities you missed because you didn’t trust yourself to seize them at the time. Maybe you regret shedding tears about an ex-boyfriend who wasn’t worthy of your interest when you were 20. It doesn’t matter what tickles your mind. We would all choose different paths and fix mistakes from the past if we could live through our student years again.
Yet, the things you would tell your younger self are still valid today. The changes you would make can still be done today. Don’t you think it’s possible? Here’s how a trip down memory lane can help you boost your day-to-day:
I would spend more time learning
You would already be a manager if you had pursued your studies. But you spent a lot of your student years socialising and making new friends. So you decided to stop with a BA degree rather than grab yourself a master’s degree. Learning was getting in the way of your life! But you don’t need to go back to the past and rent out student studio accommodation to dedicate more time to your studies. It’s never too late to learn something new. With plenty of online degrees available, you can make time in your day-to-day life to discover new skills. Sure, your 20-something self could have earned a master’s degree then. But you can set yourself a cosy home office to study at your own pace and boost your career.
I would not let my self-esteem issues get to me
Your student years are filled with challenges and transformations. You officially are leaving childhood to make your first steps as an independent individual away from your parents. Relationships can form and grow – surprisingly more easily when you’re not trying to avoid rumours in your hometown. People discover their strengths and weaknesses. Students are the population that is the most likely to experience mental health issues during this stressful time. There is so much going on that it’s almost impossible to ignore self-doubts. Yet, if you believe that your self-esteem issues at the time kept you from enjoying your life to the fullest, chances are that you have only become aware of how much these affect you today. There’s no point in going back to eliminate these in the past. Instead, focus on how you can get rid of triggers in the present time. If weight – a too common complaint – affects your mental health still today, the easy approach is to come up with an actionable and realistic weight loss plan.
I would make more friends
Being a student is all about meeting new people. But, most of us come out of university with a degree and only a handful of connections. You now find yourself meeting professionals who went to the same college as you but who you never reached out to at the time. If only we were friends then, I could use their support to boost my career! Do you know what? It’s not too late to network. While it’s awkward at first, you can join networking events – for your former university or any business event – to make connections. Everything starts with a simple “hi”, and you can build up from there.
I would diversify my interests
What defines your identity? You’ve probably come across dramatic stories where the protagonist loses their main skill, such as a cook losing their sense of taste or a pianist who has irremediably damaged their hands. There was even an old Dr House episode in which a trumpet player is affected by a degenerative illness that takes his breath away. Who am I if I can’t play the trumpet, he pleads, asking not to be resurrected.
But if you define your identity only by one specific skillset, you limit yourself to doing the same thing all your life. Students can add a few extra classes to their curriculum to explore new skills. But adults also have the opportunity to push their boundaries with online learning, and an open mind. Online learning has opened up the possibilities of studying what you want when you want, and by taking note of eLearning study tips and making the most of the opportunities given you can gain knowledge in so many new areas.
There is no such thing as a missed opportunity. More often than not, the things you didn’t do when you were younger are still available to you today. Whether you think you should have studied more or made more friends, nothing is preventing you from achieving these goals now.
However, one thing you want to bear in mind as you dive in your past to fill up the gaps is that you can’t unmake mistakes. The bad decisions you took as a student are not a burden you need to carry. They made who you are today and drove your luck through a different path. Don’t regret the things you did; they shaped you into the person you are now!
This is a collaborative post
