Ever heard of the expression, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars”? As motivating as that quote may be, with today’s standards being higher than ever, is landing amongst the stars even good enough? Or is the moon our only option? With the pressures targeted towards our generation, there does not seem to be much of a line anymore between overly ambitious and overly obsessive.
As a collegiate, it’s obvious that the stakes are high. You’re most likely spending tens of thousands of dollars a year (and if you’re on a scholarship, the pressure to keep it is even higher!) to receive this education that will more or less determine the rest of your life. No pressure, right? Nope, not at all! Yeah right.
Let’s face it: you all know that girl…or maybe you are that girl. You know what I’m talking about. There’s always that one in every class who is seems to “have it all.” She’s pretty, extremely well-dressed, knows the answer to every question the professor spews out, and seems gets along perfectly with everybody. She makes the college life seem easy-breezy while the rest of us are dragging our feet into class at the last possible second and awkwardly struggling to find a seat. It seems as though these Type A girls will be the future’s CEOs, doctors, news anchors, lawyers, etc. while the rest of us are at the bottom of the food chain staring into a vision of the fast food industry.
But that’s where you’re wrong, ladies. There’s no such thing as a perfect human being, no matter how hard that may be to believe sometimes. American author David Allen once said, “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.” Compared to a few decades ago, getting a decent job today after graduation seems to be like the Hunger Games. As opposed to only needing a high school diploma, us girls are now expected to have our college degrees with a relatively high GPA, former work and internship experiences, and extracurricular activities all under our belt.
Sometimes, it seems as though this generation is spiraling into a whirlpool of having too much to do and not enough time to do it. It’s no wonder depression and anxiety occurrences are on the rise.
Keep in mind that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having dreams and ambitions – in fact, that’s highly encouraged. However, don’t forget to have a little bit of fun and live life to its finest. Remember, a few years from now, your potential future employer won’t ask you during an interview, “Why did you get an A minus on this exam in September 2014?” So lighten up and remember that the college experience is suppose to be enriched with dozens of happy experiences, and memories. You’re not going to want to tell your grandchildren that you spent your entire four years as an undergrad in the corner of the library studying your butt off… besides, they probably wouldn’t believe you anyway.