College is tough. There is more homework than we imagined, there are exams that creep up every other week, and there are group projects that test our patience. Add a job, extracurricular activities, and pressure from parents into the mix, and there sure is a lot of responsibility on our shoulders. With all of these responsibilities, anxiety can easily take over our world. But we shouldn’t let it.
College is supposed to be the time of our lives. This is the one time in our life when we can live on our own without actually being thrown into the scary “real world”. The fact that we have many responsibilities is great news! We are building our resumes, gaining experience, and learning how to juggle the different aspects of our lives. However, are these really the most important parts of college? Sure they are necessary, but is our work what really defines us? Call me crazy, but I think that we are defined by personal experiences over professional ones. When we are old and gray, we should have a long list of great stories to tell our grandchildren. Stories that say “I lived”. When we take our last breath and our life flashes before our eyes, we want to see laughter, friends, and adventure.
Now is the time to create these memories. This is not a petition to blow off work or stop trying. This is a reminder that although college is challenging, we shouldn’t forget to enjoy ourselves. Get sh*t done and then proceed to go and spend some time with friends. Plan the day and don’t forget to include adventure. Actually loving our lives should be a priority. Although we may be able to handle all of the stress alone, life is way more fun with others by our side. So we’ve got to have a sense of humor and stop taking life so seriously. We’ve got to take risks, try new things, blast our music, and stay out too late. We shouldn’t be afraid of forgetting responsibilities, but we should be afraid of missing out on life.
Everything always turns out just fine. We’ve got to keep the faith and know that our hard work will pay off. In the meantime, let’s enjoy life – we only get one.