Change Starts Here

When you’ve finally finished unpacking (admit it, you haven’t finished), I want you to put a few things in your suitcases before you put them away for the year.

The first thing you need to put away is your insecurities. Think of all the things that make you self-conscious, like your lips, your thighs or your nose, and put them away. You can even write them down on a piece of paper and put your list in the suitcase.

The second thing you need to fold and pack is your doubts. How many times have you known the answer and not raised your hand in class? Or taken classes you don’t need because they’re “easy.” Those may seem like a ridiculous examples, but they are a sign that something is holding you back from believing in yourself. Take a more active role in class this year. Don’t hold back or take an easier route because you’re afraid of failure. Thomas Edison once said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Challenge yourself this year. The results will be worth it.

Last, pack away every relationship that is not good for your life. Get rid of your “let’s go the club on a Thursday night” friends, your “what do you have on?!” friends, your “today I like you, but tomorrow I won’t” friends and any one else that can hold you back. It’s not easy to get rid of people you have spent a lot of time with, but you shouldn’t be with someone who does not have your best interests at heart. Real friends keep you out of trouble and uplift you. If you have people in your life who do the opposite, you need to weed them out for your own good.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: as a young black woman getting a college education, people are looking for you to fail. They are also working against you at all times. This year, you need to start working (and keep working) toward becoming the kind of black woman who can make it the in world.

If you don’t start now, you may not be ready later. And, of course, I’ll be here to help.