“Ted Lasso” has shaped many of my perspectives. One of the show’s quotes that especially resonated with me was when the eponymous character Lasso said, “I think those things come into our lives to help us get from one place to a better one.”
Throughout my life and especially at Tech, I have been fortunate to have met countless people. With many of them, I have shared several great experiences. I do not think meeting these people has been a coincidence. Regardless of how long I spent with them, each person has made an impact on me and shaped who I am today.
We make friends throughout our lives, and the length of these friendships range anywhere from a couple of minutes to lifelong confidants. These can be a wide variety of different moments from the people you explored campus with during Week of Welcome to the group of friends you made in your freshman year lab.
As much as we may want many of these friendships to stay as lifelong friendships or some of our memories to continue forever, the way life works out, many of these friendships do not remain the same way they once were.
As I have gotten older, I have learned that this is absolutely okay. Each of these people come into our lives and add value to us, and it is important we appreciate and cherish these moments.
In college, we often find ourselves in the middle of high-stress situations and fall victim to a lifestyle of monotony. Sometimes, these friends break the routine and create fun memories that relieve our stress. They allow us to enjoy that time in our lives. It truly exemplifies Lasso’s statement by showing how we can go from one place, a time of stress, to another, a time of calm composure.
Much of who we are is made up of our professional aspirations and goals. When we look today at the heights we have reached, we can be proud of the journey we have overcome and have excitement for the road ahead. Looking back on our journeys, we can find those special mentors who always guided us in our endeavors and looked at each of us for our potential.
In our clubs and organizations, we were surrounded by others who helped open our eyes to various missions and causes. They helped us find our passions and inspire positive change all around us, even if we only got to know them for a short amount of time.
We also have those individuals that were there with us when we were down but kept lifting us back up. There are also times along our journey that may have seemed frustrating. We worked with people who challenged us and made us rethink our possible solutions from every angle.
Without those individuals, we would not have become the confident and strong leaders that we are today.
The people and situations we have worked to overcome develop us into the resilient people we are.
Now, what does all of this mean for us on a daily basis? Life is full of perfections and imperfections, but together, those two make for a perfect combination and make us who we are.
We go through a multitude of different moments — some moments longer than others — with each moment
having a special significance.
Take some time to appreciate those around you every step of the way.
Some of them push you and help you grow. Some of them provide the best medicine: laughter. Some of them are there when you need a pick-me-up. Some of them teach you new things. However, all of them add meaning to your life and shape us into who we are.