We are as different as fingerprints or zebra stripes. We all have varying goals, aspirations and identities.
One bond that ties all Mills women together is our almost pathological need to succeed — to be the best in all of our classes, win the race, have the most Cyclone spirit. We cram work, extracurricular activities and classes taught by world-class professors who think they are your only world-class professor into our schedules leaving very little down time. We study, study, study. The reason why they call us Cyclones is because we spin around like crazy trying to balance our lives.
What happens when we fail? What happens when a Mills woman can’t balance the fifty-bazillion things life throws at us? We can be really hard on ourselves, crying in the meadow over a B +, holding our professors hostage over an A- and calling the emergency hotline over a C+.
Midterms are almost here, and everyone is gearing up for that mid-fall breakdown. Chill out. Take some time to love yourself a little bit more this semester. Loving you more means making a conscious effort not to beat yourself up. There is no need to be your own worst critic; there are too many others to do that for you. Be positive, and confident.
Loving yourself is a really difficult thing to accomplish, which sounds silly because it should be inherent. Why should we think to ever not love ourselves? When we were younger, there was such a distinct time in our lives when we absolutely loved ourselves and everyone and everything around us. And then something happened in between that point of blissful unawareness and where we are now. Loving yourself is something that shouldn’t need work. Like how loving someone else can be effortless.
Love yourself more today by understanding that you are human. Everyone makes mistakes. Rather, use them as a tool to build yourself up better than ever. As a human being, recognize that you have something to contribute to the world.
So, kick of your shoes and feel the grass on your feet. Run a hot bath, read and relax. Put down your schoolbooks and read a book for fun. Take some time to love yourself a little more today.
