work hard now, play harder later.

As I begin my final semester of college, I wanted to reflect on the most impactful lesson I have learned during my time at Iowa State. Although I have learned a lot and grown tremendously in the last 3 ½ years, I believe this lesson is one that I will take with me as I begin a new chapter of my life.

For my whole life, school has been a very consistent and important part of my life. I have always excelled in school; taking advanced classes, being in honors societies, and consistently being on the honor roll/Dean's list. I do not state these facts to brag or seem cocky because, quite frankly, this has resulted in some mental health issues.

While I recognize that I have a natural intelligence, a smartness I was born with, most of my academic success has been the result of an often intense work ethic. This work ethic is, again, likely mostly one I was born with, but also a result of my parents who instilled it in me. 

I am grateful for my strong work ethic and believe it has led and will lead to great success in all aspects of my life, but it is also my greatest weakness. Because of this work ethic, I become very hard on myself and will stew on any mistake or any misspeak for weeks. This is especially prevalent in academics as I will beat myself up over any grade that is less than an A, even though I know that all I have to do is pass. The pressure I put on myself often leads to intense burn out about halfway through the semester and is something I am still trying to work on. 

In addition to my strong work ethic, the most common compliment I have received in my life is something along the lines of “you are such a good student” or “you are so smart, I am so proud of you.” Although these compliments are meaningful and in good intentions, they have become something I base my worth on. Academic validation became necessary for my happiness and has made it harder for me to picture life without being a student. 

I am still working through the academic pressure and its mental health complications along with it, but this past semester I think I finally found a good balance between work and play. My first three years of college, I forced myself to work and work and study and study. I would rarely go out to eat or do anything fun. In addition, my first two years were still affected by COVID, so my opportunities to have fun were already limited. 

This year, even though I was still in challenging classes, I decided to make it the year of “yes”. I would say yes to my friends if they asked to go out. I would decrease my weekend hours at work so I could attend sporting events and concerts. I would spend money on things that I would typically be frugal about. In the past, if I had any important assignments coming up, this mindset would have been unheard of.

The most beautiful thing about saying yes, is that my grades were not affected. I finished last semester with the best grades I have received in all of college and even got a 100% on one of the hardest papers I have ever written. This showed me that having fun and making time for  yourself is important and a priority, and that it can benefit all other parts of work and school and life. 

I do not regret putting in all that hard work at the start. I do not regret having two jobs as it has led to amazing connections and meeting new people. I believe the hard work set me up to have the ability to have fun, which is the greatest lesson I have learned in college; WORK HARD NOW, PLAY HARDER LATER. 

I still have a long way to go. I could still get better at putting less pressure on myself. A work-life balance is one that will always be something I need to be aware of. But I am proud of myself for saying yes. For making time for fun and creating memories that will be cherished forever. All the hard work, while challenging and exhausting, allows for the play to be that much more rewarding.

Always

~

authentic, ambitious, and aptly adventurous.