It was a splendid Thursday evening when I made my trip to the bookstore.
Having finished my last class, I figured that now would be an ideal time to check off the last three textbooks on my list. Except… they weren’t there… Suddenly my joyous day underwent a darker turn even darker than when Miley broke from her Disney reputation (seriously guys, she warned us that she couldn’t be tamed).
What the heck was I supposed to do next?
Here’s the deal: instead of worrying my own head off, I took some valuable advice I’d been given. I ignored my bubbling panic, took a seat, and took a deep breath. Because let’s face it, worrying won’t get anything accomplished! So, how can one remain strong when everything seems to be going wrong?
1. Map it Out
It doesn’t have to be a scheme of blueprints and diagrams, nor does it require intensive mathematics.
(me: trying to sort out the various conundrums keeping me up at night)
When chaos erupts, the best way to see clear is to make things crystal by – yes, get your pen and paper ready – writing it down. It is a matter of preference, however.
Think about your priorities. There will be ones that need to be handled first, while others may be able to be resolved in the near future.
- This was actually covered in a time management session during O-Week! For those of you who didn’t attend, I highly recommend you skim over Steven Covey’s Time Matrix.
- If there’s no current way to rid yourself from your problems, find means to compensate!! This can be in the form of going further in your readings to free up your study time, so you can catch up with ease in the future with the extra room in your schedule.
2. Find the Lightbulb Moment
Where there is a will, there is a way! Do some discovery and find out ways that you can help yourself that you may not have previously thought of. If you were curious about how I handled not falling behind on my readings and still haven’t heard about course reserves, check this out!
Should you find yourself lost as to which step to take next, don’t hesitate to ask for help! As mentioned in last week’s post, I figured out the hard way that sometimes asking for input is the only option you have, so please do yourself a favour and utilize UTM’s resources!
3. Laugh it Out
So you’ve figured out what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. If you’re in any state like I am (a mushy noodle, burnt from the extensive hours of reading) reward yourself! Whether it’s getting that t-shirt at the bookstore that you would’ve bought had the textbook sitch gone differently, or something as simple as watching a funny youtube video.
YOU DESERVE IT!
You proved that Japanese proverb “fall down seven times, get up eight” right, no matter how hard the obstacles were! Gravity is inevitable and takes no prisoners; we’re all bound to fall down at some point. What matters is how we get back up from the ground.
Even the pros slip up sometimes…
If you have any other suggestions on how to remain positive while dealing with setbacks, or even methods on how to handle bouncing back from them, please leave a comment below! We can all use a little help from our friends 🙂
Sincerely,
Shelby
Living Onwards, Looking Up 