Hey besties! The day, unfortunately, has come. Welcome to the last ever edition of Paige’s Page. As I write this I am incredibly emotional but I still want us to have fun, so get ready for some emotional whiplash. The Paige Weisburg special if you will. This week we are going to be giving me, and hopefully all of you, a little bit of closure. One of my biggest concerns with graduating in the fall has been that it’s not going to really feel over. For those of you who are not in the shoes of myself and many other people this semester, you are probably mentally checked out and ready to go hoping for the comfort of a break before a new semester begins. For those of you graduating like me, you are probably feeling the same but there is no winter break, there is no “it’s fine we can try again next semester,” but there IS existing in the real world now (that was a little brutal, sorry lol). I am frankly terrified to be saying any of this because even though I have known this was coming, I have been running from the reality of it. This doesn’t mean that I won’t be answering some of your final questions this semester though. This week I hope to leave you more confident and ready to take on whatever comes next. Let’s get started!
Hi Paige, would your younger self be proud of where you’re at in life now?
Hey bestie, I think so. I think she would definitely be surprised. The younger versions of me were a little too high strung I think, maybe a little impractical about some things, but she was, and still is, ambitious and driven. I have done many things that I never thought I would have up until this point. I also have not done a lot of things I thought I would have done. Honestly, though, I wouldn’t really change anything. Everybody is growing and changing everyday, and sometimes you surprise yourself with what you can do. I discussed this in therapy a couple of weeks ago actually. Different isn’t bad, it’s just different. Just because some things in my three and a half years of college did not go how I originally planned doesn’t make me any less accomplished in the things I have done. So don’t think about this as “would your younger self be proud,” think about how you, present you, feels about the person you are and the things that you have accomplished. Existing can be really difficult. Waking up everyday and choosing to be authentically yourself can be really difficult, but no one can do it like you can.
Hey Paige, how do you deal with imposter syndrome?
Hi bestie! I’m so glad you asked this question. I think it is something that everyone can relate to, and I know I have certainly experienced this a lot during my time here. Whenever I have felt this, it really helps me to talk it out with someone who is able to validate my experiences. Specifically, experiences that have led to really fantastic outcomes that I’m wrongfully doubting myself about. Also, I know it’s cliche, but everything happens for a reason, so you definitely deserve the good things coming to you. Even if you don’t, who cares. Success is subjective, take your wins as they come. Not everyone can slay as hard as you.
Hi Paige, what’s your favorite Paige’s Page response that you’ve shared? What response would you change or do over again?
Hey bestie! Asking me to pick a favorite of these is like asking a parent to pick a favorite child (obviously I have one but I’m not telling). I surprisingly don’t know, necessarily, if there are any I would change either. I stand by all of the advice I have given, but I know I can add to a few. However, here is one I chose: Hey Paige! Do you have any advice on how to be more confident and comfortable in my own skin?
When I answered this question, I talked about the way I express myself outwardly with fashion and accessories and just being who I want to be. While I definitely think that is solid advice and it is a step toward being comfortable in your own skin, I think that it’s much deeper than that. I have realized the first step to being confident is really truly liking yourself as a person. I know that sounds stupid and also very obvious, but it can be really hard to sit with yourself, learn who you are and enjoy the person you are hanging out with like you would any of your close friends. Sitting with yourself can be really challenging but it is really necessary. If you wouldn’t want to be around you then become a version of yourself that you can have fun being alone with. Loving that person will make you a more evolved and confident person. Obviously, this isn’t something that happens overnight, but working towards this goal is worth it. If that doesn’t work for you, fake it ‘til you make it. If you say something enough, it becomes true.
To my complete and utter dismay, now is the time to finally say goodbye. Thank you so much to everyone who has sent me questions, everyone who picks up a copy every week (or gets one shoved at them probably by me), and everyone who has supported me and Paige’s Page since its birth a little over a year ago. I have had the best time writing this every week and I am really going to miss this as a constant in my life at Muhlenberg.
If you want to keep up with me, follow me on Instagram @paigeweisburg!
