What I learned from the Student Leadership Conference…

Remember when I told you all I was thinking of attending the Student Leadership Conference? Well, I did! This Saturday, I woke up early and braved the snow to attend the conference. It is always hard to give up your Saturdays, but in all honesty, I am glad I went! I met a ton of new people and really enjoyed the workshops I attended.

The keynote speaker was Morris Morrison. He was vibrant, fun, and an awesome speaker! He kept the crowd laughing, but also imparted wisdom to the SU community. Since Saturday, I have thought a lot about what Morris said. Today, I wanted to share with you all what I learned from Morris Morrison’s keynote:

“All unhappiness in life is caused by comparison.”

You guys already know how much being yourself means to me! Sometimes we get so caught up in what someone else is doing that we lose sight of what is truly important! Take care of yourself. Learn to be happy with you. Accept the decisions you have made, and more importantly, be happy for others! Stop looking over your shoulder wondering why so-and-so got an opportunity, but not you. Stop comparing yourself! This brings me to my next point…

“Leadership = LEAD. YOUR. SHIP.”

Morris defined leadership as “Lead Your Ship.” I love this because it really highlights something so key to our college lives. Sometimes it’s hard to break away from what we are used to, so we stay comfortable with our friends or worse, we become the “follower.” Don’t be the follower! Be the person who people want to follow. In other words, lead your ship not someone else’s.

“What separates successful college students from those who are not is the follow through.”

I really loved this year’s theme “Real Talk, Real Action.” I found it inspiring and it definitely has me thinking of ways I can become more of a leader on campus. Morrison mentioned what separates successful college students from those who are not is not how big or small their idea is. It’s the follow through! How many of us create long lists of goals and/or resolutions and “forget” to revisit them? We should be constantly reevaluating. Who are you? What do you want? Now… how are you going to make it happen?

Whether it is scheduling an appointment over at career services for the first time, starting your own organization, or attaining a leadership role in your organization of choice… just remember, you are in charge of your own life. Journeys don’t begin unless you start walking!

What are you doing this semester to achieve your goals? How do you define leadership? Comment down below and let us know!

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