Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening…depending on when you are reading this.
As I write this post I am sitting on the train commuting into work Do you ever look at all the faces around you and wonder at the many stories to be told.
Anyway I am getting sidetracked. Today we are going to take a brief look into the next ingredient of the secret sauce to graduating college. Putting Family & Friends First.
At the heart of this step is the skill to both prioritize and set boundaries. It is an understanding of what and who is most important in your life.
I was always amazed that every student who was truly successful at college, almost to a T, said that putting their family and friends first is what gave them the strength to accomplish the difficult task of graduating college.
So the question is how do you do this? How do you both spend time with your family or friends and set clear boundaries so you have time and space to focus on school.
There are 3 essential steps. Communicate your Desire to do well in College, Schedule Time with Family and Friends, and Share your Schedule with Them.
1] Clearly communicating your desire to do well in college and to graduate will accomplish two things. One is it will build a support system around you. There will be times when you want to quit school. It is in these times that you often need someone to push or pull you through the challenge. Why not have it be a close friend or family member. Or both…By communicating your desire they will be on your side and support you when times get tough. They will also, and the is the second thing, is have a knowledge and a better understanding of why you are spending less time with them. This understanding will help ease some of the frustration that may arise due to your new commitment.
2] Spend time with your friends or family. This seems like a no brainer but it is actually something that you have to do deliberately. Schedule this time in and don’t break your word. This will build trust that while you are spending less time with them they are still the most important part of your life. This might mean you will be up until 1 in the morning doing homework, but a college degree is not worth alienating the people that are closest to you. And yes you can have both. This is one case you can have your cake and eat it too.
3] Share your schedule with them. This way they know when you will be in class and when you will be studying. Most people will respect this as long as they know there are other times available to spend with you.
That is it in a nut shell. Don’t stop cultivating the relationship of those around you just because you are in school. In the end your accomplishment will be as much about you as it is about the support you received from your family and friends.
