By Lucy Pennock

 

C is for Choosing 

 

My last SCAB was pretty fucking miserable – not gonna lie. Even Marc was worried. You see I’m not usually down in the dumps. Normally people need to give me sedatives to calm me down. I’m like an effervescent sparkling wine – fizzy, bubbly, energetic! 95% of the time overexcited. 97% of the time giggling like a loon in the corner to myself. 

 

There’s no doubt my mood has lifted in the past couple weeks, my optimism shifted, my outlook brighter. And that feels really nice to admit. The thing I’ve learnt recently is that everything is really ever only down to you. You can choose to be sad or you can choose to be happy. Choose to have a positive mental attitude or a pessimistic one. Choose to have an abundant fulfilled social life or a lonely non existent one. Choose to work smart or just come up with excuses. Everything is really only ever a choice. In fact we consciously make around 35,000 choices a day! And it’s when we make better choices that our actions slowly start to change, and then our behaviours, and then our life. No one forces you to do anything. Unless you’re living under a dictatorship rebel government. That shit’s not in your control. 

 

I guess this sort of wisdom is a thing I’ve known all along but never really properly put into practice. Before I even arrived at the school I asked everyone for their favourite self-help life quotes and then made little postcards. I thought it would be a nice little memento and also a reminder for people to stay hopeful and optimistic when shit hits the fan. Cos it will this year. I remember everyone’s quotes in the back of my brain. The words are sharp, clear, available within a hand’s grasp. Max’s was awesome – “step out of your comfort zone and make it comfier”. Maddy’s was short and impactful – “don’t be a dick.” And Marc’s was probably the wisest of all. 

 

“Watch your thoughts, they become words;

watch your words, they become actions;

watch your actions, they become habits;

watch your habits, they become character;

watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

 

And it’s stuck with me ever since. Because you know what it’s fucking true. 

 

You have to work at being happy. Good things don’t just happen to you in the flick of a switch. You’ve got to take care of yourself, work hard, stay focused. As soon as you realise everything (or nearly everything) is mostly in your control, your outlook on the world changes. You feel empowered. You start to change, evolve, be a better human. And that makes you feel happier.

 

Self-journaling has helped a lot. I’ve managed 15 days in a row. Getting up earlier, cycling into school and writing in it first thing has shifted my outlook a lot. The power of some morning exercise, a bit of fresh air and some daily gratitude is already starting to show it’s effects. I’m feeling more inspired than ever, more passionate about life and ready to take on this fucking industry. I want to make the world a better place whilst making people laugh, smile or just think. I want to change the world with the power of creativity. It’s been in the back of my subconscious since I wanted to become a creative but it wasn’t until this week when Graeme Hall spoke to us that I realised – this is why I’m in it. For this reason not for selling more crap people don’t need. Not for the pencils, not for the money, but for the feeling of having come up with something that benefits the world. Something good. Something the universe actually needs. Brands have the money and power and that’s something people shouldn’t look down their noses at. Some have more money than governments. God I sound like every other Gen Z/Millennial drowning on about purpose, but it’s important. I think without it, we feel lost, unfulfilled. If we’re becoming a portfolio society than I’m in the right fucking place. And for that I’m so eternally grateful. Aim high, think big, because each and everyone of us has the power to change our world for the better. You’ve just got to believe it and try and make the right choices day in day out.

 

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Poetry time. 

 

Last PB someone wrote a comment on our case study vid that my poem made them want to fucking kill themselves….

 

So here’s some more shit poetry straight from the horse’s mouth. 

 

Cycle to school every other day

Wake up earlier, it’s starting to pay

Off with the negativity

Self-depreciation and doubt

This week went well 

And for that I’m proud

Climbing makes me happy

I need to do it more

Keep pushing up

Until you reach the stars

The Moon

or fucking Mars

Cos once you’re there 

you’ll feel the worth 

and smile to yourself 

for changing the earth