Lessons I've Learned

If someone were to ask me how I ended up writing for the JagWire, I’d tell them I have no clue. Maybe it was the promise of an off-block, or perhaps the donuts on Wednesdays. Regardless, I’ve been a writer for the JagWire for two years, and it has furthered my journey of personal growth. Now, I have to write one of the hardest articles I’ve done yet: a goodbye.

Instead of the sappy stuff, I’d like to spread lessons I’ve learned over the years and tried to subtly communicate in the articles I’ve written. Hopefully, you’ll find this as useful as I did and see the parts of me that you didn’t get to see through these stories.

“The mantra meant nothing. Just as fear means nothing. Neither of them has any power, except the power you give them in your mind”, said Master Splinter, who is a giant, fictional ninja rat that I learned a lot from. My childhood show was the 2012 Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. From those shows, I learned about leadership and self-mastery, a lesson I still carry with me today. Fear does not mean much to me. Sure, I get scared, but I always find the logic, or the absurdity of it. This helps me when I ask people for interviews or have to do a presentation.

“Preparedness is a prerequisite for victory” is a variation of a lesson written in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, and was said by Robin (as in Batman and Robin) in the 2016 film Justice League vs The Teen Titans. My favorite heroes will always be the Robins, and this quote is something I use often. It’s why I took the time to learn First Aid, spent the money to have a mommy-bag in the back of my car for emergencies, and practice speeches instead of just reading them. Preparedness makes all the difference.

“OSU!” is something I say daily. I say it when I bow on and off the mat, when Coach is done giving instructions, and when class ends. It’s Japanese, and the symbols used to write the word are a combination of shinobu, which means ‘to push’, and oshi, which means ‘to endure’ (or so I’ve been told). As a mixed martial artist of seven years, ‘to push through and endure’ is a lesson I live by both on and off the mat. It’s how I get through hard times or pain, because it will eventually be worth it.

“I feel shame. Not for the wrong things I’ve done, but the right things I’ve failed to do” by Marcel Duchamp. I stumbled across this quote in 10th grade. It has helped me realize that the regret of inaction is always greater than the cost of a reaction. It has helped me learn to never hesitate to do the right thing, and helped me get past my own fears of taking action.

Finally, this is something my dad says a lot; “be polite, be kind, but have a plan to [defeat] every [person] you meet.” It’s a variation of aquote by General Jim Mattis. I use it a lot. It’s about being prepared and being safe. Trust, but always have a backup plan.

I use these lessons in my day-to-day life, and I hope you’ll take at least one away from this. This is the legacy I want to leave.

Abigail Stephens, signing out