During my first year of college, just like every other freshman, I ran around the buildings carrying an oversized backpack fully equipped with six textbooks, five hours of homework from the previous night, and numerous maps and schedules to help me navigate the school. I began asking myself why I was slaving over textbooks for more than three hours a night, and why I was struggling to stay awake in class the next day. I soon acknowledged however since kindergarten, I had been putting in laborious effort solely to please others and I had been receiving no satisfaction from either accomplishing goals or failing them. I learned that fostering so many difficult classes, and trying so hard would have to be done to please myself, not anyone else. With these principles straight, fulfillment was once again possible. This was one of the most important lessons I learned, for it gave me my individuality, which is now a flourishing aspect of my character.
In college, the next big step is sociology class. After the first few exams, which were blurry, I recognized how I could not do well in every class. You comprehend that failure in life is inherent, and how one must not dwell on it, but instead learn from it. I then decided if I could not succeed in sociology academically, I might as well try to succeed in building a strong relationship with the teacher. Eventually, we did build a solid bond, and indeed he helped me raise my grade, but regardless of my grade and my grasp of the subject matter, he remains my favorite teacher. It was in this class where my friendliness and respectfulness was given a chance to shine. Even though in a couple of years, I may forget the functions of social conflict, I will never forget the lessons the course taught me about life, and how succeeding in it isn't based exclusively on getting good grades, but more on the person you are inside.
Once I settled into college academically, which took me a good part of my first semester, I began having fun, and realizing that schoolwork was not everything.