The words “Midterms were here” are stated clearly in tired eyes, represented by sweatpants and evident in drained coffee cups. Stress is upon us; slackers are upon us; shortcomings are upon us. I’m counting down the seconds to fall break, and I would venture to say that you are too. It’s around this time in the semester when I know I’m too far along in my classes to give up and pursue my dreams of owning a tiki shack on a beach somewhere. I realize this is probably not the most suitable career choice and overall direction for my future (no disrespect to seashell souvenir entrepreneurs) and will therefore press on.
It’s difficult to cope when assignments are piling up, chapel excuses are running low and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for your to-do list.
While I have no short cuts or solutions, I’m offering a reminder that these times are probably more important than they feel. It might feel like there’s a lot of busy work and pointless stress, but take a small amount of comfort in knowing that some of the most stressful times in your life have also been some of the most defining times in your life.
One of the most stressful experiences of my high school career fortunately turned out to be one that I can be proud of (and can probably use as an amusing anecdote at business meetings). Due to a family emergency, our regular public relations director for our school production had to leave, and I was given her responsibilities. While attendance to school productions was good for our aspiring actors’ self-esteem, it was also fiscally beneficial as it was one of the biggest fundraisers of the year. It was a lot of pressure for an introverted 15-year-old. There were three consecutive weeks of waking up and telling myself “the show must go on — and people need to come to it, so I have a lot of work to do.” As I am now a public relations major, you can probably gather that it went over pretty well, and I am thankful to have been a part of it.
But I think we all need to be thankful that life isn’t always a smooth ride. In fact, I would go so far as to recommend capitalizing on how terrible things seem, as does any decent storyteller or songwriter. Without conflict and trying times, life is monotonous and uninteresting and no one would care about anything you have to say. Poor Taylor Swift would probably be singing about how she’s looking forward to her fifth wedding anniversary. Try singing along to Daniel Powter’s “Mediocre Day,” dramatically and with angst in your voice — not easy. You get the idea. When times get tough, these are the defining moments. These times make our lives interesting, give us a story to tell and ultimately can make us better. In words that should be sewn onto a throw pillow: a smooth sea never made for a skillful sailor.
No one gains any credibility because they don’t deal well with bad days. It’s because they had terrible days when they slept through chapel, forgot to study for a quiz and yet still managed to press on. There’s a reason you’re asked in job interviews to give an example about how you’ve dealt with conflict. This isn’t because employers are interested in your life story and just want to give you an opportunity to vent. It’s because it provides an insight to your character and demonstrates how you let an experience shape you into the person you are today.
So on this last day of midterms, I encourage you to press on, to do well, and to write a dramatic song or write a compelling story about it later if you get the chance. Thank me for the fame later.
Coming soon: Out of Chapel Skips: A Memoir by Bethany Aspey.
