Today, I talk about the importance of understanding what success means to you in college. By the end of this post you should have a better idea on what you need to know to answer the following:
What does success in college look like for me?
Whether you are about to embark on the exciting college experience as a freshman, returning back as a sophomore, junior, or senior this fall, you first need to take a step back and think about what success in college really means. More specifically, what success means for you. This is important because this will drive your behavior and actions in college.
How do you answer this question? Personally, I think it will be driven by two key factors.
What do you want to be doing in the future?
What are your priorities?
What do you want to be doing in the future?
We all have different ambitions and goals. Your long term goals are going to help you figure out what you need to do in college to head in the right direction. Take a moment and have a think about your future through the following questions.
What excites you?
What makes you happy?
Which industry would you like to work in the long term?
How do you want to contribute to society?
What are your priorities?
What matters to you in life? Relationships? Good food? Health? It can be anything but you should take some time to think about your top 3 priorities in life. College is a community of students coming from all walks of life and there will be lot's going on. If you have your priorities straight, it will be easy for you to say "no" to everything outside your priorities list!
To give you a concrete example, here are my priorities:
Health (Physical, Mental well being)
Relationships (Family, Friends, Significant other)
Growth (Professional & Personal)
Once you can clearly answer the two questions above, start formulating your definition of "success in college" in the areas of academics, extra-curricular, and social life.
Taka's Tip Top Tip
Here, I share with you one practical advice that you can implement right away.
Write down your top three priorities in life on a piece of paper and put it in front of your desk!
Thanks for sticking around! Hope you found one or two things useful and remember, take baby steps and good things will happen eventually. Be yourself and let's get moving!
Yours sincerely,
Taka