Turning flaws into strengths

I did something this week that was kind of a big deal: I declared my major.

I’m a sophomore, and I have known that I wanted to be an English major since I started here freshman year. So, you may be wondering why it has taken me this long to declare.

The answer is quite simple – I hate making decisions. I never really know what I want, and I am always worried about making the wrong decision and regretting it later.

To be honest, I didn’t even know what college I wanted to attend. My mother put the deposit down before I had even decided. She wanted to make sure I got into Warde Hall, the best dorm on campus. I guess she knew what college I should go to before I did.

Now, this has always been something I thought was a flaw of mine. I always tell people that I’m indecisive and never know what I want. Truth be told, this was one of the things I hated most about myself.

However, my new English advisor, Dr. Jeff Roessner, recently put something into perspective for me.

If I continue to be uncertain and have no interest in changing that characteristic, I must have some sort of value in the trait.

Maybe I like being indecisive because I like keeping all of my options open. Or maybe it’s important to me because I like having a world of possibilities in front of me.

This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, though. In fact, it can be really good.

Everyone should take something that they don’t like about themselves and look at it a different way. It’s possible they might end up liking it.

If you think you’re impulsive, maybe you’re just spontaneous. If you think you’re lazy, maybe you’re just laid-back.

If we all take Dr. Roessner’s advice, we can definitely carry a more positive outlook on life.

I know I do.