The future is imminent. Because of how imminent it is, it’s kind of daunting. I think the reason why it is so daunting is because we don’t know what is going to happen. I think that one fact holds a lot of people back from doing whatever it is they want to do. While I may not know if the guy I am dating now is the one I will spend the rest of my life with, I don’t let it stop me from making totally awesome memories with him. Even though I have absolutely no idea if any publisher will ever be interested in any of my ideas for novels, I still try to write them. It never stops me from at least trying to get something out there.
As a college student, I hear all of the time about how people are picking their majors because it “promises a job” when they graduate. I picked my major because it was something I am very much passionate about. Why force myself to suffer for four more years of my life in something that I do not enjoy? Some advice my father gave to me before I left was that whatever job I chose to do, to make sure that I enjoyed what I did. There is no joy in dreading going to work every day. The job I presently have, I do not dread going to. I don’t exactly look forward to it, but I don’t despise it with all that I have. I know that I will look forward to doing something in the world of English literature. Those are the classes I look forward to now. My major may not have a specific job that I could instantly get as soon as my diploma is handed to me, but I don’t exactly care. I know I’ll find something. I just don’t know exactly what. One time, a friend asked me if I was nervous about what I would do after college since I am only an English major, not English Education. I told her that I wasn’t. To this day, I am not nervous about it. It is a bit more on my mind because only three semesters separate me and the big bad world out there, but I know I’ll find something when I am meant to find that something. I still look and I still try to do what I really want to do.
Yes, the future is imminent. That does not mean I am required to stress over what I do not know. Does this post mean that I never stress about the fact that I have absolutely no idea what in the world I am going to do with my future? Absolutely not. I most definitely have things that I really stress out about. What typically happens to me is that I stress out about what is happening in the now and the “this week”. The stuff that is super far off (but not really) are the things that are at the end of my list of things to freak out about. Because something that I have found is that if I worry about the super far off (but not really) then I have a difficult time focusing on what I need to do today or this week that could help me get to those super far off things. Where is the pleasure in that? Absolutely no where. So relax and focus on what you can control now. That future is not going anywhere without your say-so.
Until next time… Kara