College is meant to be a time of immense growth. Unfortunately for many, the perspective necessary to fully grasp this is often lost in the social battlefield of popularity, or worse, in the deep recesses of their own trauma.
This is why I push for people to branch out their social network. Not only is this how we find people to learn from, but it also gives us people we can rely on in times of need. No one can do it alone.
Believe it or not, everything necessary to create and achieve your goals is all around you, especially if you are currently a student. The first step you must take is to delve honestly into who you are and what you want out of life. Only through truthful answering of these questions can anyone find real happiness. Just know that open honesty about self can often lead to painful realizations. This is okay.
Life is not supposed to ALWAYS be easy. Easy rarely challenges. We must experience pain, humility and sorrow because these emotions show us our true selves. They teach us what we can handle, what we need to avoid, and give us the best image of where our strengths as an individual lie.
Everyone has a gift; we all excel at something. It is precisely these gifts that make us unique and show us our place in the world. When you work to figure out your passions and use them to find your direction you will be best able to find out where you belong.
Above all, embrace that we are all different. Embrace this because it is the greatest gift we’ve been given. If you don’t believe this, take a moment and think about a world where everyone is EXACTLY the same. How many inventions, pieces of art, experiences, and opportunities would not even exist if we all shared one perspective?
To find your place, take a moment, and think about the things you love. If I were to give you 24 hours and unlimited funds, what would you fill your time with? Now think to yourself, can I make this a job?
If no job pops into your mind, what about those 24 hours brought you the most joy, and is there a career path that will surround you with these things? If you cannot think of a specific path, are there fields that have jobs or internships that provide the exposure and connections necessary to find the right career?
Don’t get frustrated while trying to answer these questions. We all have different approaches. While some have zero clue about who they are, much less what they want out of life, others know the shape of their career path even before most give this question thought.
I coached someone like that years ago. From the age of three he knew he wanted to be a pilot, and every year for his birthday his parents would take him to PDX to watch planes take off and land for hours. He now flies for Southwest.
I envied him for years because his passion and direction made me realize how far behind the curve I truly was. This changed when I realized that I had within me the power to create my own direction.
That first step is figuring out what YOU want out of life, not what others may want for you. This means finding a career where most of your daily work consists of things you would choose to do willingly.
As the saying goes, “When you love what you do, you will never truly work a day in your life.”
