Five Things To Improve About Myself

Like every other human being on the earth (yes, even Harry Styles—don't think I don't remember the double plaid shirts), I am not perfect. I do not have a spotless record, a faultless personality. I do not have a flawless appearance, I am not Einstein. I am Francesca and I make mistakes. Some things about myself I cannot change, but there are a few facets of my personality and character that could be tweaked in order to better myself for myself.

1. Make more plans

I know the importance of alone time for me. I am an introvert, through and through. This doesn't mean I dislike being around people or that I'm "antisocial." I love being around people! I just need a little kick in the butt to get me out there and then once all of the fun is over, I need a half an hour to myself in order to recharge, so to say. However, if I don't have a kick in the butt to get me out AKA somebody asking me if I'm free or would like to do something, I will most likely just stay home because I prioritize alone time and then proceed to complain about how boring I am. The problem could be easily solved if I just texted a friend and asked if they'd like to hang out for a few hours!

2. Ask more questions

I am afraid of raising my hand in class in fear of being stupid. I am afraid of furthering conversations in fear of being too invasive or creepy. I am afraid of asking administrators, advisors, organizers, etc. questions about what I'm supposed to do in fear of seeming misguided or unprepared. I never want to be too much of anything, so I choose not to be or say anything at all. But then I am losing out on all of the answers I need to succeed, all of the information I could use to form a friendship, all of the solutions to my worries and problems. Most of them could be solved with a, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand. Could you explain more?" or "How do you feel about such and such a thing? Cool, me too!" 

3. Be more assertive

This links along with being afraid to ask questions, I think. I never want people to think I'm coming on too strong, so I usually wait back for somebody else to make the first move. Sometimes I think about all of the opportunities and people I'm missing out on by being too timid. I need to reach out and get things for myself instead of waiting for other people to help me along the way, like I constantly need guiding.

4. Be (even) more confident

I've gotten fairly confident with my appearance, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. I think I have a sense of myself, but I'm still at the point where I don't know if I can accomplish much. This three week long creative rut (and still going...yay) has made it difficult to think that I can accomplish anything in my career. I started looking up practice LSAT, for godssake. I don't want to go to law school! I don't think there's anything wrong with a backup, but I don't know why I'm relying so heavily on the idea of having one when I'm only going into my third year. I need to start being proud of my work and the things I can accomplish with the resources I'm lucky enough to have at college.

5. Own it

Own my lipstick choices, own my fashion choices, own my creative decisions. Own the paper I completely aced, own the continuous A's that appear on my transcript, own my work and accomplishments in a manner that shows that I'm proud, not bragging. Own my opinions, own my beliefs, and own myself.