STRESS OR STRETCH?
As a junior in high school, there is one thing I know for sure. I am going to be graduating in about a years time. I will be able to finally leap off the safety net of my home. The only question is how far, how high?
All of us have heard it and understood it. To achieve anything - a good score in a test, a better result in a game - starts with setting high standards. We stretch to a higher level, and in so doing, get better. But we also know that when we stretch high there is also stress.
Does it really have to be this way? While stress can never be completely absent, I always remind myself of these few points that I’ll share with you:
My goals are self-defined and not influenced by others. Sure, there will be plenty of advice and counsel along the way. But your goals should not be relative to what others are doing. I am a competitive squash player, and there is a winner and loser at the end of each match. But as I mature, I am learning that my goal is to play my best game. If I knew I played my best, I will know the result I achieved is also the best.
Get better one day at a time. Getting better is a daily habit. It is not a special thing reserved only for the days before a big test or an important tournament. I must admit this is easy to say but hard to follow through on (from personal experience!) Through songwriting, poetry, squash, or campaigns, I have realized that I always get the most success when I’m striving to learn more. It comes with daily practice. Even if it’s just one more lap around the track, one more line of a poem, or one last question at the end of class. I’ve been trying to implement this in my own life, but wow sometimes it’s hard (Netflix and Instagram are to blame!)
Finally, setting positive goals against negative ones. Move towards something as opposed to avoiding something. I have noticed I play my best against opponents where I am not expected to win; conversely, I don’t play my best when I am the favorite. In the former I am playing to win, and in the latter I am worried about losing. Same goal, but such a different mindset.
So I hope September 2022 finds me at full stretch, and in a program that is of my choice—positively chosen. Each day until then finds me working to get a little bit better.