Ever heard of these?
Maybe you've heard Ernest Hemingway's six word memoir- "For sale: baby shoes, never worn".
It's kind of crazy the power that such a small number of words can have, isn’t it?
For this class, we’ve been given the assignment to come up with our own. I’ve really been thinking about it since it’s been assigned, and it’s honestly so much harder than I thought. I even said a few things that we as teachers hate to hear- "How am I supposed to write a memoir in six words? I have nothing to write! I have nothing to say! Nothing special or significant is coming to mind, so I can't possibly think of something"
Nevertheless, I kept thinking on it. It was definitely hard to come up with something to say in six words, but here’s mine:
Stressed, well-dressed, trying my best.
Those six words are honestly a true testament to who I am. On the surface, I really do seem like I have it all together. I'm sure you've seen me- I have good handwriting, I take extensive notes, I usually always have something if you ask for it, I dress well (most of the time. Cmon guys. I’m still a college student. It’s a give and take), and I’m usually always ahead on my schoolwork.
I've worked hard to get that reputation, to be quite honest. I want to seem like I have it all together, and I think I do a really good job at it. However, if you really know me, I let you in on it- I definitely don’t have it all together. I mask what I’m going through with humor. I’d like to think I’m a pretty funny person, and I tend to turn my latest stresses into something funny. My friends are great about supporting me, but I just never flat out come out and say to my friends “help I’m so stressed out”. Actually, I don’t ask for help ever.
I’m self-sufficient to a fault. I don’t mind learning something new and admitting I don’t know something, but I don’t ask for help along the the way, even if that would be easier. I’m a go-getter and I’m very driven. I want to succeed, but I want to succeed on my own. I don’t want to let others know that I don’t actually have it together.
Even though I have this conflicting personality of trying to have it all and being a stressed out college student, I really am trying my best here. I’m doing the best I can, and I’m learning along the way that it’s okay not to be Miss Perfect. It’s hard to admit that I don’t have it all together like I want, but that makes me more authentic, and people appreciate that.