Ever since I was young, I was enamored by the power of words. Words either in phrases heard over the sounds of a busy street, whispered from one person to the next, or countless quotes all over my computer, my room, or in my head. Often times I look to quotes for career advice on what the heck I should pursue in my looming, exciting, and unknown future. For example, here’s a favorite of mine by Henry David Thoreau, “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” Okay, so I read this and I realize I should be present in the moment and get focused back on my schoolwork. But this phrase begs the question, what defines success? According to Dictionary.com, success can be defined as “the accomplishment of one’s goals” or the “attainment of wealth.”

Now maybe it’s just societal expectations, but often times it seems that most of our lives are influenced by single choices that greatly impact our future (throwback to SATs, am I right?). Isn’t that what the stress of high school and college is about? Getting good grades, so you can get into college, get better grades, so you can get a job, get a great job so you can ‘be successful.’ Whatever that word may mean to you, it seems that our culture perpetuates the concept that what we do in these precious years of higher education determine the rest of our existence. Why yes, what we do during this time is often indicative of the paths we travel down later in our lives. And yes, this may create stress on what to study, who to be, what internship to apply for, and what campus job to get. But this shouldn’t have to come at the cost of not enjoying our time of newly found independence and self-exploration.

The other, very important side to this coin is enjoying the uncertainty and just ‘being’. Now I am not saying to forget or blow off responsibilities, like that looming Core paper, the Biology midterm, or the scholarship application due in a few days, but here’s what I am saying. It is OKAY to be unsure of what you want to pursue academically, spiritually, and personally. Coming to college is not a size fits all t-shirt where once you put it on, all of a sudden you have a plan setting you up for life. Plans fall through, interests change, and new passions form.

So what do I do next? Well if you are unsure, try new things. Take classes that interest you. Be mindful of certain requirements, but be adventurous enough to follow those passions of yours and take that seemingly awesome Anthro class or course on Green Architecture! College is a time of exploration, so enjoy it. Don’t let the burdens of fulfilling major requirements or increased work load prevent you from joining a new club or apply for the internship you think you will never get, because odds are you are just as worthy as the other applicants!

Also, enjoy the present moment and be grateful for the opportunity of even being educated. Well that’s difficult you say? How can I possibly just ‘be’ when I have fifty thousand things to cross off my to do list. First off, you can do both. Existing peacefully and calmly are not exclusive to productivity, they often enhance it. And secondly, being in the present can help you narrow your dreams for the future by being mindful of your current interests. Don’t believe me? Let’s consider the advice of some other important peeps, shall we?

• Buddha once said, “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
• Alan Watts, Buddhist philosopher, once stated, “No valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.”
• The wonderful, the legendary, and two of the best songwriters of all time, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, wrote in their enlightening and inspiring song “Let It Be,” “When I find myself in times of trouble/ Mother Mary comes to me/ Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.”

Oh how I love you Paul, George, John, and Ringo! Photo via Ultimate Classic Rock

Sooo…let’s just all be like Paul, appreciating the current moment of lifting off and not knowing exactly where we are going to land. Let’s learn to run towards uncertainty, rather than run from it, embrace the unknown, and just ‘be.’ Who knows, maybe this mindful practice will lead you to your newfound academic or personal passion!