LIL B.

If you are reading this, know that your life doesn’t have to be perfect for you to enjoy it.

As a nursing student and formally pre-nursing student, I have struggled with constant anxiety and the pressure to have “perfect” academics. For the first two years of my college life, I wasted so much time waiting for my life to be flawless so I could finally have fun. It wasn’t until recently that I realized all of those days worrying never allowed me to excel, and if anything pushed me back. As UNC students, so many of us are under constant academic and social pressure to be the best of the best. This truly isn’t achievable and should not be the standard for college students. I believe in putting your best work forward even if it means making mistakes. Rough patches are essential for a growth that leads to a successful life.

So many students at UNC appear as if they have everything figured out, when in reality, every single person here is struggling with something, big or small. It’s easy to create a false reality that consists of you believing the worst of yourself while others are deemed untouchable. These mindsets can quickly rule our realities in the way that we are giving power to untrue thoughts. So I am encouraging you, studying any field, to begin turning your consciousness into a place of positivity, and soon enough, you will start living the moments inside your head. I definitely still find myself comparing my path to those around me and it has never been productive. It’s been very helpful to instead let my mistakes teach me instead of defining me.

So just remember, you don’t have to have everything figured out to smile today. You don’t have to look a certain way, earn a certain amount, or always make the right choices. Life is more than a test that needs to be aced; it’s a mosaic of moments, and a lot of those moments are messy, but beautifully human. You are allowed to be a work in progress while also experiencing joy at the same time.

Happiness doesn’t wait for perfection, and neither should you.

Lil B., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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