By Karma Christine Salvato
Staff Writer
Jack London once said, “The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.”
With a new year (and new semester) upon us, it is time to allow those words to become part of our daily mantra.
Don’t dwell on the past.
Think of this as a chance to start over, or an opportunity to be seized. Use this time to reinvent yourself, set new goals and dream new dreams. Allow yourself to discover new passions, develop new skills and begin new hobbies. Whatever you do, don’t fall back into the same old routines.
College is like a federal relocation program for teenagers and young adults. It is a place where you can develop a new, more confident identity. You can finally get rid of that goofy nickname all your childhood buddies renamed you, or perhaps evolve your once-bad reputation into a more responsible one. Let loose a little and begin to learn who you really are and what you are about. Escape from your old way of thinking and make a promise to yourself to live each and every day to its fullest.
Sometimes, actually most of the time, we get so accustomed to our comfort zone that the thought of something new terrifies us. Don’t become paralyzed by fear because you are afraid of failure, rejection or what the future holds. Embrace change and you will ultimately be rewarded.
Starting anything new is a risky venture. You could very well fail. But, you could also succeed. And as cliché as it sounds, you’ll never know unless you try. And one thing is for sure, you will never grow, learn or accomplish your goals if you don’t overcome the fear of new beginnings and immerse yourself into a situation.
Think of your life in the terms of a novel. The first chapter is your birth along with stories about your younger years, and the last chapter chronicles your final days ending with your death. But there are no chapters in between quite yet. Each blank page is waiting patiently for a titillating tale to be told.
The number of chapters is up to you. It could be a simple story. Or, it could be a story filled with adventures, intrigue, humor and excitement. You can be the one who always took the safe path, or the one who took the “road less traveled by.” It’s your choice.
This doesn’t mean just go and do something wild for the sake of doing something wild. It means, step beyond the way you have always done something and do it differently. Go up to someone randomly and introduce yourself, or call an old friend you haven’t talked to in a while — instead of waiting for them to call you. Begin the next chapter in your life story right now. And, make it a good one.
God created every one of us with a plan and a purpose. He knows our destiny, even if we aren’t sure what it is yet. He wants us to be successful and prosper. But, in order for him to bless us, we have to be willing to take a few risks here and there.
My dad once told me, “The world is at your doorstep.”
But we have to be willing to first open the door and invite opportunity in. Carpe diem.
January 16, 2003