How I Operate

Recently I took one of those cheesy little Facebook quizzes, just for kicks. It was all about determining how you "operate." Unsurprisingly, I got labeled as a "rational" and a "thinker" and, well, I can't deny that those things are true. While I think it's silly to try and determine how someone learns or thinks by a few answers to trivial questions, it prompted me to write this post. 

There are four extremely important facets of my everyday life that I do differently from most people on my hall, or just people I know in general. Over time, especially since being at school, I've had these things pointed out to me by others, and I've realized them in myself. 

1. I work ahead. I've noticed that a huge part of being a "college student" for many people is perfecting the art of procrastination. Under no circumstances am I ever comfortable with leaving assignments or important social "contracts" to the last minute. When it does happen, I panic. Instead, I like to start thinking about projects as early as possible. 

1. Once I establish a position, I keep it. That's not to say that everyone I know is wishy-washy in their beliefs, because that's absolutely not true. But I've always been exceptionally good at maintaining grounded views. The key here is that I really try not to have a solid opinion on anything until I know as much as possible about it. Pretty much everything I do involves an informed decision, even if I don't want it to. 

1. I take impossibly long notes. About everything. One of my friends commented on my notes in class a few days ago, and it made me start to look around at everyone else's notes... in a world shorthand, I have to do everything the long way. This comes with knowing that my brain can't work with only keywords. I need sentences. So, I take long notes, even if it takes forever. I've come to terms with the fact that my brain won't ever let me have a break.  

1. I work hard to know my stressors. I think it says a lot about a person when they know how to control their levels of stress in certain environments. Over the last few months, I've carefully watched my professors let stressful things slide while teaching their class. I've done my best to draw from that. Recently, I've spent a lot of time thinking about stressors in my life and healthier ways to react to them... I've gotten pretty good at dealing with stress. I turn it into positive energy. 

What are some things you do differently from everyone else? 

Keep not settling,

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