Intention

The first couple weeks of this semester stood out to me because of the focus on intention, identity and purpose.  These words shaped not only the themes of my classroom but also spread and influenced my work and personal life.  These seemingly simply words were hard for me to understand.  I struggled initially defining what they meant and why they mattered, but also how to incorporate and use them to push me forward.  I have always been able to get my work done and get by or succeed in one-way or another so why did I have to bother?

Putting my doubts aside I set some personal intentions for the semester in the different areas of my life.  In school I wanted to not only succeed, but immerse myself in the readings, topics and discussion.  I wanted to learn and be able to apply all that I was coming to understand to my everyday and future life.  For the first time ever I am studying a field that I truly love, and am excited about.  This is an opportunity I haven’t had before and that probably wont last forever. 

Personally, I wanted to find balance.  Keeping up with friends from high school and undergrad, focusing on school, working hard, staying healthy, supporting my boyfriend of a few years that was testing and applying for law school, and attending to my wonderful parents and family that is now spread across the country would prove, and still proves a constant challenge.

And finally, in my Grad Assistant position I wanted to build and continue to strengthen the USD community that came to be a huge influence on my undergraduate experience.  I wanted to serve students and help them grow in leadership and development through organizations, and faith and trust in one another.  I wanted to learn from them and help them through the ever-present struggles that college students face whether those be time management, relationships, faith, school or any of the other countless obstacles there may be.

Now, a few months into school, and I am happy to say that those intentions provided great direction and purpose for all that I was learning and undertaking.  Although I think in the future I would like to be more specific and less abstract about what I would like to accomplish, these intentions have been a guide to all that I have been through allowing for the semester to be meaningful.  In times of stress and the overwhelming sense of not being enough time, these intentions move me forward and provide great hope.