Preparation for a New Beginning
Starting college was an exciting and scary time in my life which marked a new beginning in my life. I would be moving away from the familiar to start the next stage of my life with my son. In fact, I only knew two friends from my high school and my friend’s older sister. In many ways I was alone in this new world of college.
I attended college on the Emerging Leaders scholarship which required my involvement in different organizations. I was looking forward to engaging with new people. But my friends didn’t always want to do the same things I did. I was scared to step out on my own. Eventually, I went to some events alone and it was more than worth it. I met new people and built lasting relationships which continued after college.
That’s my first of 3 tips to prepare for a new beginning:
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Do what needs to be done, even if it scares you
You might be putting off doing something because you’re afraid. Do it anyway. You’ll make friends, build relationships and partnerships along the way. Doing the scary stuff is a key to a new beginning in your life.
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Sacrifice. Sometimes sacrifice is necessary to reach the ultimate goal.
I sacrificed in high school to go to college. I wanted to succeed in college so that meant no parties, less time with my son and no time to hang out with friends. What do you want to accomplish? What are you willing to sacrifice to make it happen?
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Do the hard work
Becoming a teenage mother was hard. Going to college full-time, managing a full course load of sometimes 18 hours, working a full-time internship, being a student leader and still taking care of my son was equally hard. But I was determined to have a new beginning after graduating from college and enjoying a successful career.
I figured if I was doing the hardest thing in my life it needed to have a huge impact.
What do you need to do to prepare for a new beginning?
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I’m Summer Owens, and my passion is helping youth and young adults realize success no matter what obstacles they face. As an international resilience and leadership keynote speaker, author, S.O. What! Success Coach, and creator of the S.O. What! Literacy, Life Skills, and Character Education curriculum, I empower people to say, “So what!” to even their greatest challenges. provide a framework to help people see past their challenges and focus on solutions using the S.O. What! Success System (Overcome Obstacles + Eliminate Excuses + Calculate Choices = S.O. What! Success). Through keynotes, workshops, books, online courses, and workbooks, I use life’s challenges and my own story of resilience as a rape survivor and teen mom success story to help others confidently pursue their dreams.
Looking for an inspiring college motivational speaker? A high school literacy curriculum? A middle school life skills workbook? A great example for teen mothers? A women’s empowerment or single mother’s conference speaker? I’m your girl and will help any audience say, “S.O. What!”.
