Change and risk taking are essential to personal development and growth. Learning from the past is important, but it does not define you. Change!

My Speech to High School Freshmen

I vaguely remember being one of a few high school seniors at my high school who gave a brief speech to incoming freshman within a few days of school. It may have even been the first day of school. From what I can remember, many of my classmates recommended that students get involved in clubs, sports, extra-curricular activities, etc. They encouraged an exploration of everything the school has to offer. For whatever reason, I was the last in line to provide advice, which gave me some time to create an original statement, while learning from others.

My message to the students was essentially: “Whatever your experience in middle school was, regardless of who you were or what you did, that doesn’t matter now. You could have been lazy, gotten bad grades, and hated every minute of school. Starting now, you have a blank slate. From now on, you have the opportunity to redefine who you are and what you want to do. You can make new friends, make new goals, join new clubs, take different classes, and learn and discover more about the world and yourself.

The speech also reflected on my experience in high school and what it did for me. I mentioned being recently accepted to a prestigious college, which was directly related to my grades in school and my abilities in sports. Without either one of these things, I wouldn’t have been accepted into the school. I ensured the students that this result is possible for each and every student. Your past is behind you, and you future hasn’t been defined.

Change is Always Possible

People often uses these quotes or phrases when they are going through a life change. However, I feel it is important to remind yourself that at any moment, your life can change. Change is natural, and is crucial for personal growth and development. It is easy to let life circumstances make you feel hopelessly trapped and backed into a corner. But the truth is, at any given moment your life can change. You are the only one who can prevent or allow change to happen in your life.

You are likely skeptical about this statement, and for good reason. There are a lot of internal and external factors that dictate the circumstances of your life. Past life experiences can often control future events. After all, the combination of genetics and experience combine to create the person you are today. But my point is, YOU CAN CHANGE WHO YOU ARE RIGHT NOW! From the moment you decide, you can become someone different. The mind is a powerful thing. However, changing behavior isn’t an easy thing, it’s actually a skill, that must be practiced and repeated.

Practice This Skill

Small changes to your routine can have a drastic impact on your life and will strengthen the “getting out of your comfort zone” muscle. Here are some ways you can practice this skill:

• Socializing: Making brief short conversations with strangers is a good way to get over social awkwardness and can build confidence.
• Write it Down: When you get the urge to change or have a strong feeling/emotion, write it down. Creating a history of these thoughts and ideas can help to explain them and perhaps find solutions to them as well.
• Explore: Change your surroundings. Is your commute the same every day? Check out a new neighborhood, or go visit a new place. Notice the differences.
• Try Something New: It may be as small as trying a new food, or as big as joining a club. Trying something new breaks you out of your routine, and helps you to learn and grow!
• Learn: Take an online class, read a book, or browse through college programs or course catalogs. Rediscover something that interests you! As humans, we are adaptive and are constantly striving to learn.
• CHANGE: Sometimes, the best way to make this change is to rip the band-aid off.

CHANGE

Maybe you have thought about changing behavior and tried to make steps towards it. Perhaps you have encountered obstacles along the way. This change you need to make may be so drastic that it doesn’t seem plausible. Stepping out of your comfort zone with small acts like those mentioned above may help you to create the change you desire.

However, depending on the circumstance, a big change may require a big action. In a sense, you may have to “rip the band-aid off”. Have you ever made a big decision, or go through a major change in your life. It is helpful to remind yourself of those times to draw lessons from them. We often worry needlessly, and these big changes in our lives become seminal moments in our lives that we remember fondly. Personally, I still look back at moments when I took a risk or made a change as proud moments.

So Go Take Risks! And Enjoy!