During this past semester break, I had one goal: Recenter and refresh myself for the new year and upcoming semester.
Arriving at this goal wasn’t immediate and it took an approach that I wasn’t anticipating, but I was able to learn some valuable lessons in the process. Some of the lessons come from a book, titled “Be Where Your Feet Are”, by Scott O’Neil as he discusses personal experiences/lessons that help to keep him grounded in a fast-paced life. The mixture of my own ideas and what I learned from this book both helped me to be able to enter this semester refreshed and ready to tackle the demands that seem to be never-ending.
Here are a few of the lessons that I learned and have worked to apply this semester:
- Determine what is most important to you, and then prioritize it
- View failure as a way to grow and develop yourself
- Anchor yourself through a strong connection with the Lord
While these are only three of the lessons that I learned from reading “Be Where Your Feet Are” and from my own reflection, I have been able to let them shape me this semester. Taking the time to deeply reflect on what I could change wasn’t easy; it was a little uncomfortable if I’m honest. I had to realize and accept that I had space to grow into and that I wasn’t where I wanted to be. So, my personal reflection and desire to reach my goal of a refresh helped me to find things to change.
In Scott O’Niel’s book, he talked about the idea of having a “Core Four” or determining your personal “What’s Most Important”. This idea has helped me to focus on 3-4 of the biggest areas of my life and make them what I focus on. Whether it includes faith, education, family, service, or any other area, this has been something that has allowed me to stay connected to what I value most. It has also helped me to see what really matters right now as compared to just going with the flow without a defined direction.
Both from my own experience and also from what “Be Where Your Feet Are” teaches, I have learned that failure is not meant to define us. Instead, I am learning to use failure and unmet expectations as a continuous feedback loop for improvement. This can be used in any area of life – work, school, family, relationships, etc. The Agile meetings we all are familiar with have taught me a lot about this, especially retrospectives. When we take time to review what happened, identify what went wrong, accept it, and move forward, we are choosing to “fail forward” and create an environment for growth.
More than anything, a strong connection to the Lord can anchor us when nothing else seems to provide that. With so many choices and decisions to make, we can choose to hold on tight to the relationship we have with the Lord. The peace that I have felt from this relationship in my life has helped to sustain me when the other lessons from this list haven’t. I know that the Lord can give us the guidance and answers to our deepest desires when nothing else seems to be working.
So, whether you are looking for a refresh or just looking to feel more grounded in a busy college life, take some time to slow down and reflect. It may be a little uncomfortable at first, but the peace, clarity, and growth that come from it are worth it.