Sprint Through Aches and Trust My Mental Athlete

I took the second-year warmup for granted but the past is no longer of importance. What matters now is the final sprint of third year and I’m faster than I’ve ever been.

False Start

When I had initially begun writing this piece, I dwelled on the ‘what ifs’ and ‘what could have been’ of second year in a pandemic. However, I became conscious of the emotions that were resurfacing – ones which have unquestionably no business in my life anymore.

Taking My Mark

I am exactly where I need to be, I have every tool and I have the most amazing support system that nudges me hard past any glimpse of me losing sight of what I’m working this hard for.

My advice for any student would be to deeply consider these aspects and whether the people you surround yourself with are making you want to be better and dream bigger. If you do, be grateful for them every day and let them know that.

Picking Up The Pace

I won’t sugar-coat it, third year is proving to be extraordinarily stressful, at least for me who is naturally able to put an amount of pressure on myself which can make mental explosions feel, on occasion, imminent. I absolutely love my course though. Every project that is set for each module excites me even when the workload makes it difficult to focus on anything else.

Nonetheless, having plenty else to put my sincere attention on is part of what I deemed possible for myself this year. Potentially I wouldn’t have taken on so many opportunities if it hadn’t been for slacking last year (in proportion to my work-ethic prior), but who knows? I am pushing for more than I ever have now and there’s no going back.

The finish line is just too close and I have come this far already.

Close to the Endless Finish Line

To anyone whose third year hasn’t yet come about, you should get accustomed to Moodle now and check in on it as part of your morning and night-time routine. Chances are you will no longer get away with looking at module work and lectures a day before class.

Start taking on big projects to test your limits and finding methods to prevent mental crashes – this way you’ll be better prepared. Speak to people with experience in your field of interest, confide in your tutors, visualise the places you want to get to and most of all believe that every little bit of effort that you put in will reward you.

I had a conversation recently with a university friend about the thrill we feel looking into the future. She beautifully compared one of her life experiences to going up a mountain, seeing its peak and not even having reached the top yet, beginning to see that it’s not a peak that’s up there after all but it’s endless land with even more mountains, maybe an infinite number of mountains. She expressed that from not seeing a limit anymore, what feels like fear has entered her, but no more than brilliance or wonder. This connects to why I believe being a student is so precious as it gives you a space to introduce your aspirations and then discover an array of possibilities that have your mind swirling and changing constantly.

Climbing Up the Peak, https://unsplash.com/@joshuaearle

Crossing With a Personal Best

It’s effortless to get scared and overwhelmed. Plus, it’s effortless to want to quit when things are going (or becoming) great. I love how the mind works. In my case, I am so incredibly happy and all the good things that I’ve prayed for are entering my life yet somehow this has been terrifying at times. But now I know for certain that I wouldn’t change anything. As I said at the start, I am faster than I have ever been and I must give credit to all my self-belief and all the work I have put into myself and all that I do.

I’m not going to tell you to not be afraid of entering third year or of taking on any other of the biggest ventures of your life so far, I’m saying to go through with them anyway and merely allow yourself to feel out of your depth – eventually you won’t and you will also deal with bad days more easily.

Just watch where the process will take you and know that you have so much to offer and then some.