Mistakes Made Junior Year

I think we've all been there. When looking back on a certain period in our lives, we recognize that mistakes have been made and that now is the time for change. For sure, I realize that my third year of university was one of mistake after mistake -- bad habit after bad habit -- solidified.

But I recognize it now, and fully intend to work towards a newer, better, ready-for-the-real-world me.

I've pinpointed some of my major junior pitfalls and will document them here for posterity:

1. I didn't prioritize right...especially in terms of my work-life/school-life balance. It was too easy to focus on what I could execute to perfection constantly (that being my low-level service job) as opposed to what needed constant incremental work in order to hit less than perfect results (that being school work). Beyond that, I spent entirely too much time lapping up the drama that a close-knit staff breeds. It was distracting, stressful and entirely unnecessary (and these things showed in my semester-ly results).
2. Speaking of drama: last year was full of it. From all angles (except, ironically, my love-life). I had close friends break up, close friends need near-constant emotional support and a family that needed me. The emotional toll was exhausting, but I often felt that those people needed me more than my studies needed me. (Of course, sometimes that was absolutely true...but a lot of the time, it was not.)
3. Monetarily speaking, I screwed up last year. My paychecks/savings would easily cover my fixed monthly expenses (read: cellphone, cable, groceries and cigarettes), so I gave myself a blank check to go out and have fun. This problem was only compounded by my turning 21 (I essentially went on a four-month bar-bender). I've documented my financial hole ad nauseum in previous entries, so I don't really need to go further.
4. I lost myself and I lost my connection to God. This is an ongoing issue.
5. I compromised my study-habits and motivation to spend time with the one I love. And this is the one mistake for which I feel no need to apologize. But this coming year, I need to really buckle down.

So there you have it, a brief compendium of my third year mistakes. Have you ever looked back on a period in your life and said "Wow, I really screwed that one up"? How did you move past it? What are your biggest shortfalls and how are you working on them?

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