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Don’t Worry, You’ll Probably Fail This Time Too

I’m having a hard time right now because every year I make a list of goals for the new year. However, those goals are usually set to surpass the previous year. I’m not trying to do that this time–instead, I am trying to create new goals to take me where I have never gone before.

There are still things that I want that I have wanted for a really long time and I do not feel as though I have gotten any closer to gaining those. I have been fooling myself into thinking that I am doing something new, when I am simply doing the same thing in a new way. When you do this, you are simply staying in your comfort zone. In 2015 I decided not to simply do things differently but to do things that were totally new to me and the results have been AWESOME. So in 2016 I plan to do completely new things while expecting failure. Failure is not bad: it is a teacher. It teaches you how things really work in life. As for me, it teaches me alot of things about myself like my limits, my fears, my talents, my character flaws, and so on.

Driving a ATV through jungles and mountains was new for me. Visiting the local villages opened my eyes to so much.
Driving a ATV through jungles and mountains was new for me. Visiting the local villages opened my eyes to so much.

When I managed to pull myself off of academic probation I did totally new things, NOT the same old things. I studied in totally new locations at totally different times. I took classes at weird times on weird days. I studied with brand new people. I started an entirely different workout. I have a feeling that we do not try new things to change old problems because we are still hindered by our old fear of failure. As we approach the new year, don’t let the fear of failure trick you into thinking that you know more than you really do. Test your limits and move forward into trying new things to overcome your old problems!

Have you tried something new that totally changed your life as a student? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

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Watch Yo Mouth

Don’t tell my Mom this but one rapper that I enjoyed listening to in the late 90’s was a guy named Redman. I have no idea why I like him because our personalities were like night and day. The only thing that we had in common was that we were the same shade of brown.Redman-by-Jason-Goodrich_thejasongoodrich.com_

However, I was always amazed at the things that he would say in his lyrics–especially the things that could/should never be said in public. Most of his music never played on the radio stations because of the lyrical content. I quickly found myself narrowing my music lists in college because I loved music so much that I wanted to share it with whomever was close by. But its hard to let people listen to your music when what your music is saying is so offensive.

The same things could be said about the things that come out of your mouth when talking about your teachers. No matter how emotional you may feel, make sure that what you decide to say to your instructor will not be “Rated M for Mature”. Also, make sure that whatever you say to them will be well received by the Dean, Provost, Vice President or even the college President because anyone could be included in the process for settling an issue between a student and teacher depending on the details. The process for handling a student complaint these days is actually in favor of the student from the start, but your bad character and tainted words can derail the entire process.