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We all have life lessons that we take from moments, experiences and memories. Completing a bachelor’s degree slightly later than most of your classmates, I think, is always a positive thing. you’ve had more life experiences, time to grow and time to know who you really are. especially if you have taken time out of education before going back. Even though I took this route it still took me a while to figure out the if uni had taught me any life lessons. While studying I just couldn’t see them past all the stress and ‘in the bubble’ moments I had while I was there. It needed me to have some distance before I could realise them and then realise that I have already put most, if not all of them into practice already.
These are the life lessons I took from my years of studying, and I can honestly say they have helped to shape the person I am still becoming.
Having an opinion isn’t wrong.
This was the hardest one for me to learn at uni. I wanted to please everyone, and I did this by agreeing with other people’s ideas…even when I didn’t actually agree. It’s ok to say that you don’t like something or you don’t think an idea is a good one. That is your opinion, so why wouldn’t it be ok? Have you heard of constructive criticism, this was a staple while I was at uni. You can’t just say, I don’t like that or I don’t think that your right. How is that helpful to anyone? How does that help others grow and learn? Well, it doesn’t. If your going to voice your own opinion, make sure that you give some reasons you don’t agree and some suggestions as to how that person could improve or ways that their idea could be developed to be made even better.
Being constructive will be much better received than being blunt.
You need to speak up.
You can have your opinion, but how is anyone ever going to know it if you don’t speak up. If you’ve got an idea then voice it. I was as quiet as a mouse when I started uni. This meant that not only did I find it incredibly difficult to make friends, but it also meant that I never gave myself a chance to know that my opinions were completely valid and that they were ok to have. I didn’t realise how much happier I would be in my own thoughts until I learn the power of speaking up and standing up for what I believe in, which links points 1 and 2 together nicely.
Push yourself to try something new.
This again, I would not have learnt unless I had decided to pursue a creative bachelors degree. Studying Fine Art opened my eyes to a sea of techniques and processes, that I didn’t even know were possible. Within my first year I was lucky enough to experiment with a large handful of these processes because they were on the syllabus to be taught. All of them were new to me, I had no previous experience. With this I knew that If I was left to my own devices I would have stuck with my sketchbook and pencil. After having to experiment with these different processes I found how much I enjoyed them. It also made me realise that I could adopt these new skills to my own practice, which is something that would have never happened had I stuck to what I knew.
The take-away from this point is that new ideas, inspiration, motivation and passion comes from trying new things. You cannot be creative in a vacuum, which my fellow bloggers will definitely agree with. Trying new things means you are opened to a new community of people, their personality, their brains and its a great chance to network.
Some people are only out there for themselves.
I’m sure most of you already know this but, this life lessons harsh but true. I was quite naive apparently. I would always try to help other people. Only to realise I would never see any return for the favour. If you don’t naturally see the people who are doing this, then just be aware of it. Although of course, its good to help people who are in need. On the other hand it can wear you down and be upsetting when you are there for everyone, but no one is willing to do the same in return. If people are using you for their own personal gain and not willing to give in return, then do not waste your energy on them. You are better than that. You deserve to surround yourself with like-minded people who have a community spirit rather than a selfish one.
Others are there to lend a helping hand in any way they possibly can.
This one is a massive shout out to my other half. It’s also one of the many reasons that I fell in love with him. He will go out of his way for someone, as long as he can see that they have put the effort in and aren’t trying to take the easy route out. The type of people who will help you as much as they can, are rare hidden gems. This seems to be because everyone is so focused on their own goals. That they haven’t remembered that element of community and collaboration that is so important as humans. If you have put all your effort into something and still need help. Seek these helpers out, put your pride to one side and ask or accept help.
Hard work can also be fun.
As I said previously, I was lucky enough that my degree was a creative one and I loved every second of it. So I don’t have the experience of an academic degree. The life lessons this taught me though, is that hard work can be fun. I expect this can apply to everything because, if you are passionate and excited about something that you are doing. Then it should be fun and you should enjoy doing it. If you aren’t enjoying it, then maybe you should take a step back and analyse what could be done to improve it. Or do you need a change of scenery for a while?
Persevere for what you want.
This one should be an obvious one. If you really want it. then go for it! Through uni I was pregnant and then had a new-born. I still graduated on time and managed to balance everything to do so. I wanted to finish my degree so bad that I made sure I completed. So my only advice for you is to just go for it. Throw everything you have at it if you want it that bad.
Life lessons No. 1. No matter the problem, there is always a way to fix it.
This is pretty much the whole of a creative degree. Problem solving. So my number 1 of life lessons is that there is always a solution. If one way doesn’t work, then another will. If you can’t figure out, then talk to someone about the problem. You know what they say, a problem shared is a problem halved and this life lessons no different. This is a good way to practice some self-care as well, because bottling problems up is never the right answer. So call that friend and talk the night away. It’s is also an important aspect of self-care. Read my Post Self-Care, 20 Free and Frugal Ways to Practice it. There will always be a solution, sometimes we just need someone else brain to help us figure it out.
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Valuing your time, is a life lesson we all need to listen to.
How often do we all do this? When I started my bachelors degree part-time, I thought I had all the time in the world. This made me throw time away that I could have spent using the facilities at my university. The truth is 5 years went by so quickly and I miss it so much. I wish that I had tried more of the techniques and processes that were available to me so that my skill base was wider. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t throw away precious time that you could be using to acquire new skills, new contacts and new possibilities for yourself.
Life lessons taught me that sometimes a bit of pressure is needed to get that job done.
I used to be a very laid back type of person. So much so, that I should have been standing on my head. It wasn’t until my first deadline at uni that I realised the power of a bit of pressure. It makes you get stuff done!! Some people shy away from pressure and situations where they will have a deadline to meet. I say embrace it! Take that pressure and turn it into the motivation that you need to get the job done. The sense of accomplishment afterwards is just incredible and spurs you on for the next lot of challenges.
What are your life lessons you’ve learnt so far? how have they made an impact on your life? Share with us in the comments, we always love to hear how you relate your experiences to the posts I write.
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