The funny thing about life is that, as much as we attempt to prepare for it, we are often never really ready for it.
As a senior preparing for the tumultuous road awaiting me post-graduation, I can safely say that I could have watched an alarm clock grow wings and base jump out of my third-floor Drescher apartment window and still wouldn’t have known the true meaning of “time flies.” Yet, I am forced to acknowledge the reality of my departure from this campus just four short years after my arrival.
We as seniors are preparing to enter a world rich with new opportunities, adventures and challenges. We are at a crucial point in not only our nation’s history but also in the history of our larger global community.
Somewhere among us the future President of the United States is being groomed to lead our nation, while future CEOs, lawmakers and doctors prepare to make their mark in their respective fields.
With all of this in mind, I have compiled a short list of things to consider as we prepare ourselves to face life in the real world:
Stop and smell the roses.
Ambition and motivation are two things that our country holds in high esteem. We idolize people who are driven and pursue their desires relentlessly. We often forget, however, that it is easy to overlook the small things around us that make life beautiful while we pursue our larger goals. With that in mind, I implore you to try not to forget to make time for the small things. Remember to push the pause button on life every now and then and thank the roses for their aroma.
Out with the old.
The fact of the matter is, our parents and grandparents are not going to be around for forever. As much as we love and respect them, we should also not forget the mistakes they made. This, of course, may be a hard pill to swallow for members of the older generation, but it couldn’t be more relevant for us, the future of the nation. If, in 20 years or so, we are still dealing with the same problems that our parents dealt with, then we will have done something wrong, right? The good news is we can avoid that all together by simply evaluating the mistakes they made and then making a genuine effort not to make the same ones (cough, civil rights).
In with the new.
Embrace new things, new experiences, new people, new ideas, new locations and so on. The monotony of habituation can weigh on the body and mind. Routines enable us to run on autopilot as the bulk of our lives are boiled down to muscle memory. Despite that we feel “safe” in our comfort zones, what we don’t realize is that we set ourselves up for complacent and sedentary lifestyles. Don’t be afraid to break the cycle and incorporate something new to each week.
Take risks.
Life is about taking risks. It’s that simple. Care less; do more. Often we rationalize our way to inaction (presumably out of fear) when we should just put our best foot forward and go with the flow. They say a closed mouth won’t get fed, and you miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. Whether it’s a relationship or a dream job, courage is your trump card. If it doesn’t work out (save for some tragic consequence), at least you tried, and what doesn’t kill only serves to make you stronger.
Turn off the boob tube.
I mean, come on, did you expect me not to say it? Call me a crazy, left-wing, liberal conspiracy theorist all you want, but I stand by the notion that television is unequivocally detrimental to society. It’s a random tip, but it has helped me in my own life. We already have enough distractions in our day-to-day, so please, turn off the boob tube.
These tips are not meant to be extraordinarily novel, or even remotely ground breaking, but I do find thinking about certain aspects of life in these terms helpful. The prospect of graduation should evoke excitement in budding seniors, not despair. The future is in our hands and, contrary to popular belief, it’s looking pretty bright.
We are progressive. We are forward thinking, and we will be the change we wish to see in the world. Peace, love and all of the above.
