10 Lessons Learned in My Last Fall Qtr

As of today, I am 1/3 done with my final year of undergrad!

Hardly reppin'. Always home.

As I get closer and closer to that day of cap & gown bliss, it's important to smell the coffee along every step of the journey. Here's a few of the things this quarter at NU has taught me: 

1. Whoever said "it's not about where you're from, it's about where you're going" LIED. It's about both of those things. Look, binaries suck. We don't have to choose between two extremes of what matters. Your story leading up to right now has shaped you and molded in ways that make your future as lit as it's bound to be. It's your story, after all. 
2. #StayInYourLane will always, always be a major key to success. Listen, if I sat here comparing my highs to that of my neighbor, I would be miserable every day. The reality of everything is that there's always going to be someone with more experience than you, with more followers than you, or any of that mumbo jumbo. The important part? You are the only you. So focus on being the best you the world has ever seen.
3. Prioritize Happiness. Being an elite, corporate-culture, production-focused campus means a lot of things - one of them being stress. "Oh man, I got a ___ and not an A," "I'm not feeling the greatest and should probably stay in, but so-en-so is expecting me at ___," and other worries place happiness lower and lower on the totem pole. Your happiness should never be collateral damage. 
4. I deserve to take up space. Here, there, anywhere. It's really easy to get into a new space and feel unworthy. Imposter Syndrome is really a sucka. But the thing is, I would never be able to enter a space if I didn't deserve it. Period. That goes for any space I enter "alone," any space I'm completely new to, any of them. Seeing my value means seeing what I add to outside situations. 
5. There is some sort of magic in femme friendships. Nothing against my non-femme friends, but there has to be something written in the stars that make femme friendships so fulfilling and affirming. I don't know how many times I've gone to my femme circle with a "Am I trippin or is this wack?" and they confirm that I'm not trippin'. And, even when I am, it's always communicated in love and a common seeking for growth. Love y'all. 
6. Respect the Sacred. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Don't mess with the Earth when those who are Native to it are literally screaming "nah." Also, with every win there is the opportunity for greater loss, so we have to keep fighting. Keep fighting for Mama Earth's folks. 
7. SPEAK UP! SPEAK YOUR MIND! One of my biggest and most flustering pet peeves is terrible communication. Why? Because a healthy flow of communication is integral to any healthy relationship (and not just romantic!) Ever relationship we navigate, from friendships to partners to employers, operate in their worst ways when we refuse to communicate and speak up about what's really real. Upset with a friend about something? Tell them. Can't make plans you and someone else made and have to bail? Tell them. Not feeling the plans for your organizations next endeavor. Tell them. It may not always be easy, but it's always necessary. 
8. What's meant for me is mine. I don't have to stress over it. I don't have to worry. It's always been mine. If you haven't noticed by now, I'm a big believer in the concept of destiny. But it's really easy for me to slip into overworking, over worrying, and trying to write my future. Especially when it comes to post-grad life. But, the most comforting fact is that what is mine, already belongs to me -- even if I don't know it yet. 
9. While your experiences are definitely unique, someone has also been where you are before. This is another comforting fact when I find my self worrying (which I have a lot this quarter). Remembering that I'm not the first to do everything is calming because it means somebody got through this. Somebody got through Macroeconomics 201. Someone got through work-study income. Somebody got through career-related-stress. And so can I. 
10. Never underestimate the power of love. Every time I walk into the Black House and there's a smiling brown face, I'm warm. Every time I go home and get to hear my little cousins laugh at YouTube videos, I'm warm. Every time I found myself carelessly dancing to Kehlani with my friends, I felt that warmth. Love is electric, and I wake up everyday determined to lead my life with it. 

Of course, I've learned a bajillion lessons this quarter, as I do every quarter. But these really stood out and will be the lessons I keep in the front of my brain as I go into the next. What have you learned as we approach Winter break?

Until next time,

XoXo
-Si