In high school, senioritis probably came early – maybe in your junior year, when some of your older friends began to graduate. All you could think about was getting out of high school and starting “real life.” The problem was, of course, that high school graduation was still at least one year off.
Welcome to college, where senioritis once again rears its ugly head and makes it challenging to focus on daily tasks and class assignments.
Being in the junior year of my undergraduate career, I have tasted senioritis almost on a weekly basis. There are times when I absolutely love being in college: completing coursework, going to my part-time job, hanging out with friends, and learning. Then there are other days, however, where I cannot wait to get out of college and get a “grown-up” job, get my Master’s Degree, and build a family. In short, I want to begin my “real life.”
Seeing a pattern?
So often in life, it is difficult to focus on present circumstances. Future life always appears so enticing. The future is full of mystery: what will my life be like? Will I have my dream job? Will I have a family? Will I be happy?
Yet, when the future is finally brought to the present, the present is unsatisfying and the future once again appears more interesting. Is senioritis still happening now that school is completed? No: senioritis has been conquered.
What still remains, and has always been, is a feeling of dissatisfaction.
So, what are some ways to become more satisfied during every stage of life?
Quit worrying about the future.
Worrying may seem to accomplish something in life, but all it really does is cause more stress. Sure, stress can be one of the best motivators for completing tasks, but stress can also be extremely unhealthy. Instead of worrying about what the future may hold, try hard to focus on the good things the present is holding. Do you have a job you enjoy? Do you have friends? Are you alive?
Turn negatives into positives. This is a mental practice that I have worked on for years now. Whenever something bad or unfortunate happens, find the positives instead of just seeing the negatives. For instance: Your car breaks down on the side of the highway, making you late for work. Instead of focusing on being late and having to deal with a broken-down vehicle, choose to focus on the fact that your car did not break down in the middle of the highway and cause you to be in a terrible car accident. Perhaps you could have died or ended up with severe injuries, not to mention the damage done to other people and to the cars involved.
The beauty of life shines much more brightly when the clouds of dissatisfaction dissipate.