Enjoy the Little Moments by Isabella

Enjoy the Little Moments by Isabella - January 2016 Scholarship Essay

In 2016, I made one decision to help me become a better student: be happier. For the past two years, I have battled with depression and anxiety. This has affected my motivation to study, do homework on time, and be an active member of the classroom. So, in order to become a better student, I have created a mason jar to collect some happy moments from each day. The outside is covered in grey fabric with little white anchors and adorned with my favorite photographs of me, my friends, and my horse. With the help of this jar, I hope to keep my spirits lifted throughout the year and be happier. If I ever get unmotivated or sad, I can look back through my happy moments I’ve had so far and tell myself that everything is worth it in the end.

At the end of 2015, I started something similar: I would try to write down happy moments on my phone from my days whenever I felt sad. When I did this on a regular basis, I felt myself having a clearer state of mind and this translated into my schoolwork. At home, I was more interested in doing my homework than watching television. In school, I began raising my hand more and adding to classroom conversations. This boosted my confidence in myself and helped me become more immersed in the material presented in class.
Although I started this trend in December, I made this resolution official on New Year’s Day with the creation of my ‘Jar of Happiness’ as I affectionately call it. I hope to write down happy moments every day from now, until the end of college, at least. I feel that everyone can benefit from an activity similar to this and I have seen a major change in myself because of it. Even though it is not academic related, I feel this resolution will make me a better person inside the classroom and out. I conclude my essay with this simple statement: Enjoy the little things; you never know when they may come in handy later in life.