Hey there fresher!
All of us look forward to the day we graduate from high school and are all set to go to college. The entire lifestyle is hyped up by everyone around us. There is newfound freedom in college, you know what I mean? You are no longer just a little school student, but the perfect blend between a student and an adult. This is my favourite kind of combination if you ask me. You enjoy the freedom of a student while gaining life experiences as an adult. You learn so much as a college student without even realising it, both academically and professionally.
Learning something new? Journal it in
The one thing I wish I knew as a college student would be to have realised and consciously made a note of the things I was learning along the way. By making notes of what one is learning you also understand what you like, prefer and enjoy doing, which comes in handy when you are job hunting. This way you set your priorities right and do not get stuck in a job you do not enjoy contributing to. As a school student, I remember I was terrified of speaking in front of a large audience, however, surprisingly; I started doing much better in front of a crowd in college. I realised this back then because it surprised me. Someone who was mortified of the crowd was now a little comfortable, I made note of this and consciously worked on it. Little did I know, this would eventually help me at my workplace where I am constantly expected to conduct meetings with the higher management, different teams, employees etc. Looking back at how far along I have come, had I put in a little more effort into pushing my boundaries and working on my public speaking skills, I would have enjoyed the college life a tad more.
Follow young entrepreneurs online
There are a plethora of videos on the internet that can help you with literally anything. Be it, public speaking, learning a new skill, a new language, you name it, it is available online. The easiest platform where you can enjoy learning is Instagram, surprising, isn’t it? There are so many coaches available on Instagram that create thought-provoking short videos. These are convenient because they are not overpowered with a lot of knowledge, but enough to put the message across. I have mentioned a few of my favourite content creators along with this blog/ These creators help with building a personality, characteristics, teach you hacks to secure a better future and a lot more in less than 30 seconds.
Deepak creates content for the millennials, are you hooked already? He’s been a speaker on Ted-X thrice so far. His content revolves around things you and I should know and how we can utilise the simple life-changing behaviour patterns to help secure our future and grow as an individual. One of his recent videos was on two mistakes we must avoid in our early 20’s – Millennials Mistake. You can check his other videos out if this is something that interests you.
Show me your friend and I will tell you who you are
The common notion I notice in college students is, the ones with similar personalities hang out more often. While this is great and make for some really good friends, it is not necessary they are the ones you need to stick with throughout. Another important lesson I learnt was making friends from different backgrounds, those who have a different goal in life than yours, those who like different things, who enjoy other activities than what you usually engage with are the ones who help you widen your perspective in life. They are the ones who help you grow as an individual. Surround yourself with ones who have high expectations from life and the ones who work hard to make their dreams their reality; they are who motivate you just by hanging around with you.
Look out for yourself for a change
A secure future is not just in terms of your career or the skills you pick up; it is also about a healthy living, both in terms of physical health and your mental health. You can also follow coaches online who talk about how we can adapt a healthy eating lifestyle at an early stage to carry that good health longer. With the current fast-paced world, you also need to learn how to balance a job and your life, giving each equal importance. Your mental health is more important than you realise, therefore invest your time in understanding your emotions, your trigger points and work towards learning how you can best help yourself.
A couple of ways you can focus and better your mental health are by avoiding drugs, smoking and consuming alcohol. Additionally, you can also start a new activity and blend it into your daily routine. Exercise to your body is also a good and effective way to keep your mental health balanced. You can certainly pick up a sport such as Football or Basketball; get involved in some friendly neighbour matches on a weekly basis. You can read more about the simple ways to keep a check on your mental health by reading this article – Mental Health
Make your mind your best friend
Speaking of mental health, the other key factor that helps maintain a healthy mind is a healthy body. What you eat plays an important role in how you feel and function throughout the day. If you have not already, pick up on some good eating habits for 15 days and see for yourself. You instantly start feeling better, healthier; the results are directly seen through your skin. The one thing I struggled the most with, in college was, PIMPLES! Had I taken my diet seriously back then I would not have these pimple scars staring back at me every day. Along with a healthy diet you need to stay active as well. Here are a few of my favourite fitness coaches on Instagram, hope they inspire you to stay healthy as well.
Scope and career in journalism
India is a country where journalism is at the top of the list for any college student. With the huge population, and the nitty-gritty detailing now and then, the audience is always on a lookout for news. News of all forms and types, conventional & unconventional, old or new, and yes, not to be missed out, fact or fictitious, it hardly matters. As long as you display it on the small screen or even in the print copies, one can easily catch the attention of the audience.
Journalism has also taken a big leap into digitalization due to pandemic. Podcasts and radio broadcasting have tremendous potential for journalism students as there’s a huge space that needs to be filled across the world in a different genre.
Conclusion
To sum this all up, the simple things I wish I knew in college that would have helped me a great deal now are
- Skills - These can be anything. From learning your way through Microsoft Excel, or learning a new language, or enhancing a skill such as public speaking will take you a long way.
- Hanging out with the right set of friends - These friends are the ones who inspire you to push your limits just by being themselves around you. They encourage and support you and help you before you even ask them for help.
- Healthy living - Your physical and mental health should be your priority at all times. Anything that disrupts your peace let it go.
Hope this blog helped you understand how you can transform yourself by simply making a few lifestyle choices in the right direction.