When you look in a mirror, what is the first thing you see? Do you
see the beauteous existence that is who you are or does the smallest blemish
distract you?
Sometimes in our
lives, we get distracted by the small things that we don't like about
ourselves. We put our focus and energy into covering up and hiding these
"flaws". Trying to change who we are so that we can fit better into
the "normal", "ideal", and "perfect” ways of living.
In my life, I have
been guiltier of this than I would like to admit. Trying to have the perfect
hair, clothes, skin, personality, life style. I started to become a person who
thought that I deserved to have the best no matter what the cost. But there was
always a catch, no matter how hard I tried, there was always something that
stood in the way of me becoming this "ideal" person. But in trying to
fit in and be “perfect", I realized that I wasn't doing myself any favors.
I lost parts of me that I loved, my happiness, my creativity, my originality;
all things that I would need to help me now as I'm growing older. I don't want to
lose out on who I am as a result of trying to be who others may want me to be.
Granted there are probably always things that I would like to change about
myself, but I've decided to give myself a new focus. Rather than trying to
change my appearance and losing my personality in the process, I challenge
myself to improve my personality.
We are never too
old to learn. That is why, as I made a list of reasons why I wanted to study
abroad, I tried to focus on lessons that I could use for personal growth rather
than just on things that I wanted to change about my life.
1) I want to
strengthen my independence.
For some people
who know me, this probably sounds like the most ludicrous reason for me to
travel. I am a very stubbornly independent person, sometimes to the point where
it gets me into trouble. But I believe that is why I chose this as one of my
reasons to study abroad. I need to learn to tame my independence, I believe
that the best way is to test it in a way that forces me to see just how strong
I can be on my own, surrounded by a completely different environment.
2) I want to
expand my comfort zone.
Being the shy and
quiet person I am, often times I end up passing and missing out on
opportunities that challenge my limits. I don't push myself enough to see just
how open-minded and flexible I can truly be. By pushing myself into exploring
another culture, I will be able to
3) Work on my
language skills.
In my last post, I
had mentioned a 5 year resolution that I had made, upon review, I realized I
never shared the goal I wrote. Part of this resolution, was that I wanted
to be able to speak, at least a basic conversation, in 5 different languages (English
not included) before I graduated.
4) To see the
World.
I have always
dreamed of being a world traveler. Most times to the extent that my mother or
one of my best friends has to pull me back into the reality in which I am
actually living. I find a great deal of intrigue in the thoughts of how
differently and yet similarly others can live. This made my list, not because it’s
somewhere where I can grow or learn, but because this is a part of me, my
fascinations, that I never want to lose.
5) Meet new
People.
I love my family,
I love my friends, and I love that they are there for me 24/7. They have all
influenced my life in more ways than I could even imagine. But I have also
realized, that surrounding myself with the same people constantly, leads to the
often unrealized exchange of personality traits. Sometimes, this can be a
fabulous thing, but it can also lead to losing out of who I really am. By
surrounding myself with new people and their ideas, while still staying
connected to those at home, the real I will have greater chance of being
established.
6) See the
different styles of Art, Music, and Food.
New styles of how
life is presented through different mediums is amazing. How simple things like
a pencil, a pitch, or even a dish can change how people view a situation can be
mind-blowing. I consider myself to be an artist but often I struggle with
finding creative ways to express ideas. By going to a place with an extremely
rich artistic culture, I hope to open my eyes to new perceptions and better appreciation
for the arts and artists themselves.
7) Find the
Thrill of Travel.
"Focus on the
journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in
doing it."
-Greg Anderson
This reason, is
focused on finding the joy in the small things, like the chance to ride in an
airplane or use the metro (something we don't have around where I live). Being
able to find adventure in the small and often "routine" things that
happen when traveling, that are sometimes taken for-granted even though they
aren't part of life on a daily basis.
8) Appreciate Diversity.
Small town
Midwestern USA doesn't often offer a wide variety when it comes to the types of
people living there, so again, I'm going to focus on the "broadening
horizons" and "different views" part of traveling. I want to
learn how to embrace the diverse array of heritage and cultures that will be
surrounding me while abroad.
9) See a
foreign education system in action
This may sound
like an extremely dorky reason to consider traveling abroad. However, this is
one thing that I find fascinating. The idea that there is no unified global
standard for how to teach or what we as humans need to learn; and because of
this, each country/city/school has something that makes it different from the
rest.
10) To help my
Future Self
We've probably all
the spiel about how we need to build up a great resume, find a good career, and
contribute our best to the society in which we live. But I'm sorry to say that
when I look towards my future, I don't focus on the idea of having to plan out
my career. To my brain, my future is a place where I should have few regrets.
Granted, that sometimes leaves my priorities a bit jumbled, but it gets me to
act rather than to always just sit and ponder about how things could have been.
This point is my personal challenge in a nutshell. I want to learn and grow by
doing the things that I believe will help improve and not change who I am. To
me, this is the best way to help my future self.
