Swain is a junior marketing and writing double major and can be contacted at  [email protected]

I know “succeed” is an umbrella term that carries a different meaning from person to person. “Succeed” to me means surpassing the goal (whether it is yours or another person’s) of accomplishment. Here are my top ways to succeed in everyday life.

1) Act professional. Don’t curse in public, treat those with more experience than you with respect, and carry yourself well. People will notice if you are a professional person. I have been offered more jobs based on my professionalism than on my experience.

2) Carry a planner. I don’t know how people are able to keep all their meetings, assignments, tests, work schedules, and organizational events without one. I love the feeling checking off tasks in my planner. It is then I know I am one step closer to a goal.

3) Set goals. I came to Drake with the goal of graduating with a 4.0. While I am still on that path, I don’t care about the actual grade anymore. I realized that by working hard in my classes, I not only do well, but I get more out of my classes. Set a difficult goal for yourself and see how your mindset changes about success.

4) Write in a blog or journal. I try to write in my blog at least once a day and keep track of my accomplishments, failures and anything that stands out for me that day. Going back through my blog, I see things that once worried me actually pan out, and I see how I grow from the events in my life.

5) Be polite. Everyone deserves your respect. There are no exceptions. Remember to say “please” and “thank you,” to hold the door open for others, and to bite your tongue in certain situations. Politeness will never go out of style, and people notice when you are polite.

6) Ask for help. Humility is a great trait to have. Know when you need the assistance of others to complete a task or when you don’t have all the answers for something. People appreciate when you turn to them for help because it means you are human and can’t do everything.

7) Care. Come on, you are only in college for four years of your life. It isn’t that much of a commitment to study hard and work harder. If you care about actually learning the material now, then you won’t have to relearn everything on the job later.

8) Pursue your passions. I love to edit writing and check for grammar. While I am not the best grammarian ever born, I enjoy it, so I make sure to edit whenever I have the chance. There is something about doing things you love that makes others notice you and want to see you succeed.