Courtesy of NBC

This past Monday was the first Service Learning meeting of the 2015- 2016 school year, marking a promising start for all activities. However, truth be told, attending regular Service Learning meeting is not the most exciting event for many of you. Luckily, you guys are not alone. Even for a senior and a UNIS student of 12 years like myself, I still find it very difficult to sacrifice my precious X-block to attend one of these regular meetings instead of having an early lunch or finishing last minute homework. Sadly, it is a mandatory requirement that each and every one of us has to fulfill. However, over the course of my middle and high school journey, I have come to a very wise conclusion: trying to enjoy something makes it more worthwhile than detesting it. It may sound cliché but trust me, hating something for 7 long years and still having to do it is not going to be a fun experience. As a veteran myself, I will present to you my special, precious, remarkable, exceptional, uncommon set of strategies to guide you through this misery. I grant you an easy pass in Service Learning  for only $0.0 and your time! Hopefully, with a bit of luck on your side, you might be able to come out happier  or less miserable than you were before.

1. Be Active: Unlike any of the previous tips you’ve read before, I will not tell you to pick the activities you will most likely to enjoy because if that is possible, then I would not be here writing this and you would not be reading this. So, cut the cr*p and BE ACTIVE. I cannot stress this any further because being a leader in my final year, I hate to see people lacking the enthusiasm in their activities. Trust me, I know it is not the highlight of your day, but it isn’t for me either. So to make it easier for you and for me or any of yours fellow leaders, at least put some effort in faking your enthusiasm. So my advice is hide it and try to fake that little pretty smile of yours  and sooner or later, this will be over.
2. Find Friends: Teachers may be telling you to not choose your activity based on your friends’ choices. I am not telling you to go against their “words of wisdom”  but be aware that having a couple of friends accompanying you in the most boring hour of your day can definitely lighten your mood. The other thing is that by having someone you are close with be with you, you can treat this hour as your  1/2 social and 1/2 work time. On a side note, if you are a cheeky person, you would be smart enough to use this precious moment as your excuse to get closer with the one you like to talk to but are too shy to. Don’t pretend you don’t know what I am talking about…
3. Look Ahead: If you read up to here and still despise community service then look ahead of you. Would universities choose an interactive, social, out-going, dedicated individual or a lazy, selfish, myopic individual? Think about it. This is your chance to dash a few handful of sprinkles and glitter onto your resume. The more involved you are now with your current activities, the less time you will have to give up, faking your resume just to impress your universities. Be cunning!

So before leaving you with all these inappropriate tips, I just want to you to treat this as your effort in giving back something to the school, and to the community. It is a rare opportunity so use it wisely and cautiously. But at the end of the day, it is all about you having fun. Thank you for your time and see you next week!

PS: here is a quote I find very interesting. #deepstuff

“If you really want to do something, you will find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” – Jim Rohn

credits to cliparthut