My First Two Weeks at CC (Miguel)
These past two weeks have been the most eventful yet uneventful weeks of my life. The life and routine I’ve lived for the past four years have been completely flipped on its head. From commuting to school to now having my campus only five minutes away. From seeing my friends every single day to only seeing them every few weeks. From living with my parents 24/7 to now taking care of the house all by myself, this new chapter of my life has been like no other.
The biggest difference I’ve dealt with is how much free time I have and how important time management is in college. I thank God every day that time management has always been one of my strengths. In college, no one forces you to do assignments, no one forces you to check Canvas, and you’re no longer constantly being watched.
This freedom is liberating, but at the same time, it’s easier than ever to fall off track. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned these past few weeks is that momentum is everything. If you start your day off right and continue to accomplish your goals throughout the day, it becomes so much easier to carry that success into the following days.
On the other hand, momentum can also destroy you. A quick power nap can turn into a three-hour nap followed by three hours of doomscrolling, successfully ruining half your day and whatever plans you had.
Managing myself is what allows me to build the right kind of momentum. There have been days when I accomplished everything on my to-do list and more, and at the same time, there have been days when I struggled to get even one thing done.
These first two weeks at community college have shown me that if I want to succeed here for the next two years, I’m going to have to manage myself every day. Track my schedule every day. Track my calendar every day. And work toward my goals, even just a little bit, every single day.
Overall, I’m beginning to fall in love with this new, productive lifestyle. At firs,t I was sad and felt lonely, but over time, I began to find my purpose again. I try to fill all my days with a variety of goals that truly matter to me. From working my first job at Panda Express, to making social media videos, to finishing assignments, to writing articles for this blog, I really feel like every day I get to work on something I’m passionate about.
I know that in a few years, I’ll look back at my time at community college with a smile. Despite how uneventful and lonely it can feel at times, the fact that I get to grow my mind, my body, my career, and my purpose every single day is something I’ll be thankful for for the rest of my life.
