Recently I've come to realize that there really is such a thing as too much planning. It's no surprise that I'm constantly thinking about upcoming classes and my job search, just like any other college student. After all, college is the time where students are pursuing degrees and finding jobs that fit them. But it didn't occur to me until a few days ago that the way I was approaching college was not helping me live a successful life.
I was eating out at a restaurant with two friends because we hadn't really gotten the time to catch each other up about our summers. While enjoying our food, we struck up the conversation of what we had been up to over the summer. The upcoming junior was prepping for medical school and studying for her upcoming MCAT this August, doing research and working a job, while the upcoming sophomore was enjoying summer vacation. However, she was very concerned about what she should do the next year to become more proactive. She had just finished her freshman year and her time had been swamped by the numerous important life decisions she had to make while starting college. She had decided after much deliberation not to transfer away from MSU. Having gone through so many hard decisions, it was understandable that she was getting really caught up in her college education. What my junior friend said in response to her enlightened me.
The junior explained that even though she was incredibly busy studying for the MCAT and figuring out her future, she felt it was important to take a minute to enjoy everything along the way. Knowing how incredibly busy she typically is, it was surprising for me to hear that kind of advice from her, and it really got me thinking.
I realized that I have not been living a very mindful life these past few years because I've been putting too little importance on the present and too much on prepping for the future. I've been rushing through my everyday life without taking the time to appreciate it. If you were to ask me specifically what I was up to last week, I would have a very difficult time answering that question because of how occupied I was in planning out this week. I'd go through so much homework that I'd forget to take a break and enjoy the gorgeous, sunny weather we've been having. And it isn't just me going through this problem. A lot of students I know have the same issue with getting so caught up in their responsibilities they forget that maintaining their well-being is a responsibility too.
Students would come in with a very vague idea of what they want to do at MSU and then get bogged down by all of the decisions they have to make. Balancing class, work and a social life is definitely a challenge, so it's very easy to get caught up in the rat race. Despite this, it's still possible for us to live busily yet still have enough time to stop and smell the flowers. After all, we are only on campus for a few short years and if we spend the entire time working ourselves into a frenzy, it could be a huge experience wasted.
We work hard to become successful, but success is such a broad goal. After reflecting these past few days, I’ve come to realize that living a fulfilling life is also part of becoming successful. It's only when we take our focus off the destination and learn to appreciate the journey, that the whole trip becomes worthwhile.
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