Thanksgiving of Sophomore Year
The Lessons
By Shanti Gold
I wasn’t a dramatic kid, yet there I was during Thanksgiving of my sophomore year of college, tears rolling down my face. And they kept coming. My parents looked on with surprise and concern.
Truth be told, I was equally surprised.
Sure, I was aware that I’d been feeling somewhat overwhelmed. My course load was particularly heavy. My ongoing, intense grade-consciousness loomed over days filled with reading and studying during every free moment as I tried to keep up with the volume.
Sure, I remembered walking down campus and seeing a woman pushing her child in a stroller. With envy, I thought, “Wow, how good it must feel to be free,” as I returned to what felt like an inescapable maze of academic responsibility.
Sure, I’d had stomach issues for years directly tied to stress, requiring dietary modifications and numerous medical exams.
Yet somehow I was as surprised as my parents as the tears continued to fall. We all have things to silently push through, right?
Thanksgiving was a wake-up call. I could listen, or I could return to heaviness and health issues that would clearly escalate. So, I pivoted.
Here are the changes I chose:
• I would not pursue law school. “Who could go wrong with a law degree?” wasn’t the right motivation. I wasn’t passionate about it.
• I would not write the thesis required to get an A in my undergraduate political communications class. Even with an A average, students who opted out were given an automatic B+. I said, “bring on the B+.”
• I shifted my lens, and placed concrete value on having fun and taking myself less seriously. I followed my heart and gut, choosing to prioritize and seek out more of these moments.
• I had the time of my life during a perfectly-timed junior year study program in Spain. It reaffirmed my new lens, delivering the soul enrichment that comes from playfulness and open, curious immersion. (Although running with the bulls was perhaps a step too far?)
Thanksgiving of sophomore year was difficult – and it also gifted me with the understanding that I could choose a path forward that better served me.
More fun. More fulillment. (Survived the bulls.) I maintained my grades. 💡💡💡
I bring these same principles to professional coaching – which I summarize at Grow with a Pro as “you got this, go play!” It’s exciting to work with high achievers to discover their version of this formula and achieve sustainable growth.
Thanksgiving of sophomore year was difficult – and it also gifted me with the understanding that I could choose a path forward that better served me. Through Grow with a Pro, I help high achievers become aware of opportunities to consciously shift (ideally, even sooner than I did).
Here’s to successes and Thanksgivings filled with joy, laughter and gratitude 🙌