Sumpah Pemuda: The Role of Youth in The Nation’s Independence
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How long you’ve been trapped inside your house?
Ever since the global pandemic, people have been told to stay in their house as a way to minimalize the spread of the virus and many actually struggle to adapt to this new lifestyle. Being accustomed to the internet in everyday life, apparently doesn’t really help when it comes to all of the work and study dependant on online meetings. With all of these problems and add the fact that you can’t leave your house to the equation, you got yourself stressed out and spending most of your time scrolling down the social media pages.
Well, guess what? You don’t have to.
In this short guide, we’ll list you some of the things you can do to adapt to this new normal. Not only the list consists of fun things but also it will let you improve yourself significantly, even though you are stuck in your house. The list will focus on improving yourself individually, so if you are living alone, you got nothing to worry about. Let’s start!
1. Sign yourself to an online program
With everything becomes online, you can use this as a benefit to do a project while also staying in your room. The projects you can choose are varied in this new 4.0 Industry, ranging from volunteer, internship, or even taking a new course you have been interested in.
To get started you can look up online for available projects or even start new ones. The goal of joining these kinds of programs are exposing yourself to a new experience and to keep yourself busy, so don’t be worry if the program doesn’t include salary.
2. Read more books
If you prefer to educate yourself more in a more traditional way then reading is a way to go. In our previous lifestyle before the pandemic, you might find it hard for yourself to read in between your tight schedule, either it was school, college, or work. Having said that, right now you have a more loose schedule means you can spend more time reading. You can also use this opportunity to explore new genres.
Let’s say you are more of a fiction person, perhaps you can start reading history-based books or self-improvement guide. That way you can expand your knowledge even more to various fields. Finding it hard to buy a physical book during this pandemic? You can always count on technology and search for an e-book online.
3. Learn more about yourself
There are problems that young people still struggle to handle not because they can’t, but sometimes they just don’t understand themself enough to know how they could handle it. Learning about various fields is important for your traits, but learning about yourself is the foundation to use those knowledge and will influence how you view various things.
You can catch yourself sometimes learning more about you while reading books, watching movies, or having a conversation with others. But you can actually learn and get into yourself even more by doing a self-talk.
The simplest way to do this is by asking yourself. How are you feeling? Do you feel in the right place? What is your plan ahead? and etc.
By asking and answering these personal questions, you can see the bigger picture of yourself and decide or change something that you think is the right way for you. Keep in mind that the answers to these questions are subjective, there is no wrong in here so feel free and be honest with yourself.
4. Start a journal
To find out how far you have reached today, you need something or a way to track it, and journaling is the best way to do it.
Some said, journaling is an art of writing to know who you were in the past and shape yourself in the future. Journaling – or some people refer to it as a diary – can help you track all the things that happen in your life. To improve and expand it, you need to have a sense or an indicator of where you are right now.
Think of it as a map, if you are planning to reach some points, first you need to find where on that map you are standing on currently.
To do this, write down what are the problems you are facing right now and don’t forget to write which you have solved. Also remember to write the things you have achieved, even if it as simple as waking up early or eating healthy. You can find a lot of guides on how to start your own journal, but there are no rules on doing it really. Just do what works for you
5. Take a better care of yourself
Sometimes to jump farther ahead, all you need to do is take one step back. Now you know there are a lot of things that you want to achieve.
Now you are working harder than before, and now you know you can achieve more, don’t forget to put yourself ahead of everything. It doesn’t mean you have to be selfish, just make sure you are going to it the way you want it to be. If you feel tired, take a break. If you need help, ask someone that you trust. If you are able to achieve something, treat yourself a reward.
Making a better self of you doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to burden yourself with everything and be indestructible. In this long journey, the key is to enjoy the process. There is no finish line, it is a continuous process for as long as you live. So make sure to keep the spirit alive.
Finally, remember this: improving yourself could also mean empowering yourself as better youth. If you are able to empower yourself then you can start to empower others. Not only it will help them, but you will also gain satisfaction through your contribution, and ultimately, empower the world as well.
Here in Indonesia Youth Foundation (IYF), we believe that youth empowerment is a crucial step to associate the global citizens. By empowering the youth, we also build bridges to connect the many youth communities spread all over the world. Let’s take these small steps and start to improve!