Category: Learning from Experience
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My Big Brother Has Autism: This Is Our Relationship
I’ve always loved The Rolling Stones. Guns & Roses wove their way into the soundtrack of my adolescence. But my go-to song? The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine.” It wasn’t the lyrics that got me, or even the melodies. I loved these songs because they helped me communicate with my brother. My older brother, Jake, has autism….
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You Can Change Your Self-Perception at Any Time
I think I can speak for us all when I say that the year 2020 has thrown a wrench in our plans, no matter how mundane or monumental they were. For example, I thought that on one chilly night in mid-March, I would be returning to work the following day. That I would wake up…
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COVID-19: Finding a Sense of Solace Amidst the Storm
Is it possible to be so vastly overstimulated, yet understimulated at the same time? This is a question that has been circulating through my mind throughout the entirety of this COVID-19 pandemic. As we find ourselves quarantined to our homes for the foreseeable future, the transition from a daily routine that was regularly filled with…
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How to Take Control of Your Life and Escape Self-Imposed Martyrdom
One Sunday night not too long ago, I found myself in a familiar position — restlessly mulling over how powerless I felt in my life for one reason or another. Why was I letting my entire mood be dictated by one person? Why was I constantly exhausted after following through with plans that I agreed…
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Happily Idle – How Cruise Control Boosts Creativity
When was the last time you let yourself be bored? It may sound like a silly question, to which you could answer that scrolling through Instagram for too long can become mundane, or completing an assignment for work or school can be anything but exciting. But, when you really think about it, how often do…
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When You Learn From Others, You Learn About Yourself
As we grow up, we tend to put ourselves into boxes. If you were the student in school that always gravitated towards a leadership position, you may start to believe that this is your lot in life. However, if you were more reserved and introspective, like me, you may not foresee yourself shining in front…
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A Year Full of Lessons, As Told By My Journal
When people say that a lot can change in a year, they’re not kidding. Think about it – how different do you feel now than you did exactly one year ago at this time? As the holidays wrap up and thoughts of the new year are on the horizon, we tend to categorize the past…
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New Year, New Resolutions
Three, two, one…Happy New Year! The ball drops, some warm embraces are shared, and glasses of champagne clink as another year becomes one for the books. After all of the celebration and excitement dies down, though, this holiday signifies a new beginning for many people. A time of reinvention, if you will. Although, like a…
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How Failure Helped Me Find Myself
If you asked me even a few months ago to discuss the times I’ve failed at something, I would probably struggle to respond. I spent so many years of my life fixating on ways that I could be better. What could I do to better excel in school? What could I do to make my…
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Why Did I Attract A Toxic Friend Into My Life?
There’s nothing more disappointing than initially realizing that you’re in a toxic friendship. It’s like breaking open the floodgates to every pent-up emotion that you’ve been suppressing throughout the duration of the relationship. You may be angry at your friend for the way that they treated you. You may be disappointed in yourself for putting…