Michelle Lee's Blog

The greatest lesson I’ve learned from someone else…hmm.

That’s a really good question. Because life’s got a lot of great lessons to teach.

But I suppose out of the top of my head, one of the best lessons I’ve learned thus far was from my piano teacher before a 200-300 person concert.

That lesson was: “No matter what happens, keep playing.”

And while that seems like something only applicable to instrumentalists, that’s not the case necessarily. Because when you’re stuck in a rut in an impeccably important situation – like an exam, an interview, or maybe preparing a surprise presentation in class – that quote really helps.

Because it basically means: “Regardless of how tough or whatever the situation happens to throw at you – go on with the show.” And I always attempt to keep that line in my head, under even the most intensive and pressuring moments in life.

It’s interesting to know that Philipe didn’t have the most luxurious of careers as a student either – having entered a major that he hated, not realizing that he hated it till later, and having a disastrous career for roughly 4 years after graduation. I sort of understand that – I didn’t have a good time in school either, and I still struggle today through Sauder, wondering whether I’m treading the ‘right path’ at times.

Hearing Philipe’s story reminds me that my faculty is actually full of humans that are able to make mistakes, that we’re not all identical robots aiming for the same career aspirations. It sort of reminds me that it’s okay to be stuck in class wondering and questioning my next few years.

So as part of our first  blogging assignment for COMM 299, we’re required to discuss anything related to our “greatest achievement”. Very vague.

Thus, I’ll start by saying: I have no specific ‘greatest’ or ‘proudest’ achievement. There’s just daily achievements, some really good achievements within the month, the term, and then there’s those special achievements that one has to pour years of effort over – most of mine are academic or personal-based ones.

But given that this is for a COMM 299 class and that I’m probably being reviewed by a fellow Sauder peer – I’ll quit beating around the bush and pick something that’s slightly recent and that I’m particularly proud of:

My proudest achievement was: getting into UBC in the first place.

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