Beyond Breaking Point: Reflecting On The Hardest Thing I Have Done This Year

Looking back, this year has been a rollercoaster of activities and emotions- good memories and sad ones, valuable experiences that taught me priceless lessons, and everything in between. I met new people, made friends with a few of them, and lost others. Overall, compared to previous years, this year has taught me valuable lessons and strengthened me. This month is the tenth month of the year, which means we have two months left before this year runs out. I know so many people will say “Oh! This year flew by! Wasn't January just yesterday and how come we are in the 10th month?” Well, for me, this year dragged its feet slowly, as if it had nowhere to go. It feels like this year was combined with another.

Today's Hive learners prompt asks us the hardest thing we have done this year. How did we come about it and what did it mean for us? In retrospect, I have done so many hard things since the beginning of this year. I have made so many hard decisions and taken quite a number of hard steps. At the beginning of this year, I realized something huge. A piece of advice, if you'd like to put it that way. “Life is not always a bed of roses.” The ending months of 2023 went so smoothly for me that I thought things had already started to go my way, only for my illusion to shatter in the first month of this year. The earlier you know that life is not always a bed of roses and that things cannot always go your way, the better. Sometimes, you find yourself in a position where you have to make hard decisions and take hard steps. These hard decisions and steps can either strengthen or break us into pieces.

As I mentioned above, I have done so many hard things this year, most of which I'm not willing to share in this space. At least, not now that the memories are still fresh in my head. When I saw this topic, I had to dig deep into my “Hardest things I have done into 2024” box and pick the one that is not so “deep” and that I can easily write about without causing me to reflect on them too deeply. After digging for minutes, I finally selected one. One of the hardest things I have done this year is staying up for about 2 days, preparing for exams.

I am a university student in my final year. The last session was the hardest since I began my university journey. I always tell my friends that I do not like school. I know hate is a very strong word, but I think it is the right word to use in this context. I slightly detest school and everything it brings. Going to classes, presentations, writing notes, tests, and exams are just not my thing. Every time I tell my friends that I don’t like school they frown and say “Oh! You say you don’t like school but you end up with the best grades, attend every class, submit assignments, and take presentations seriously.” How do I explain to these guys that just because I don’t like school doesn't mean I should get bad grades? You see, I love good grades, but I don’t like school. It’s complicated.

Last semester, I took quite a number of courses that almost drained the life out of me. I remember staying up for more than 48 hours (without sleeping or resting). I forgot to eat until my stomach couldn't bear it any longer. I almost forgot to live like a normal human being. Along the line, I fell sick. I knew the sickness was inevitable because I had pushed my body beyond its limits. Even when I was sick, I still pulled up an all-nighter. Luckily, it was the last day of the exam.

At the end of everything, my efforts paid off. My sleepless nights reflected in my grades. However, looking back, maybe I shouldn't have pushed myself too far. What lessons did I get from the experience? Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well. Take your priorities seriously, but don’t push yourself too far.

Thanks for reading.