Clarity

Here are my thoughts for today... they might seem to jump around a bit- but hopefully they will make some sense.

I really wanted to get away this weekend, but it just did not work out how I wanted it to. However, I believe that everything happens for a reason, and in a way I am glad that I stayed at school this weekend. Last night I went and saw "Valentine's Day" with the girls, and it was such a great night (and a great movie too!!)

The movie was great because it's something that everyone can watch. There were many different scenarios related to love. One of my favorite parts of the movie was when there was something said along the lines of when you love someone you have to love them for their whole selves- love them for the things you like AND dislike about them (I guess this is what unconditional love would be).

There were some other good things that I took away from the movie too... I can't wait to look up some quotes from it soon.

Another reason why I am glad I stayed at school this weekend was because I had this really great conversation with one of my best friends today. We are both in similar points in our life, and it was one of those conversations where you really start to see the things more clearly.

I find that most of the time when you talk to your friends about problems or issues you are facing in your life, they are quick to give advice and tell you what to do. I am definitely guilty of this a lot myself. You want to give your opinion and advice because you care about your friend, and you want to help them; you want to make them happy again.

One lesson I have learned this semester came from my Intro to Counseling class- "Client self-determination" which is when you are counseling someone, you do not offer advice or give your opinion, you prompt the client with questions and give guidance to help the client make their own decisions about their own life. Because no matter what advice you give, the client is ultimately going to make their own decision and they are going to do what they want to do. Now I know that not everyone is going to be a counselor in their life, but this really makes sense to me. I do want to do counseling in the future, but I also want to use this technique in my own life when talking to friends. It means a lot to me when I can talk to a friend and they can truly listen and support me in my decisions.

Here is a quote by Proust related to life lessons/experiences: "We do not receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us."

So in receiving advice from others, I think that it is important to listen to others and hear their perspectives, but it is also important to remind yourself that you have to make your own decisions- you have to think for yourself. On the flip side, in listening to others, you have to remember that people are going to make their own decisions and they need to make the decision that is right for them, not what you think is right or wrong.

Being in college, I have gone through so many experiences; some great and some not so great. Overall, I am thankful for every single experience I have had, even the bad ones, because they have all taught me something different in life. Just like the quote says, it's a journey that no one can take for us or spare us.