As students at the University of Michigan, we all know too well how normal it is to put as much as we can on our plates in order to help us in the long run. Yet, are those who barely get any sleep and have too many activities to balance really happy now and later in life? Is getting as far as we can what makes us happy? I recently attended Victor Strecher’s motivational lecture on how to design a happy life. I went with a group of friends and was not hoping for anything, even though I had heard amazing things about Strecher’s talks. However, after sitting in and listening to him to speak, I can honestly say he gave an incredible speech.
Strecher, a professor of public health at the University of Michigan, explained how important it is to live with a purpose and that having one leads to a healthier and happier life by reducing disease and increasing longevity. He acknowledged that finding a purpose can be difficult and that we should not keep our doors closed when we think we have found one. He recommended taking a gap year after college to explore paths we might not have considered and to become more aware of the world we do not see. He also stressed the importance of trying new things so to not limit ourselves. Many times we live our lives based on what our parents or peers want from us; however, it really is not their life to decide.
While I am lucky enough to have parents encouraging me to follow my own dreams, there was another part of the talk that resonated with me the most, and that is when he described the importance of the simpler things in life. Many times we get extremely caught up on overbooking our schedules and to-do lists in order to get ahead, sometimes at the cost of sleep and enjoyment. Believe it or not, individuals who follow this pattern are actually more depressed in a few years than those who did not try to do it all. In addition to extreme loads of work, many people, especially college students, are busy focusing on their peers’ acceptance, whether it be with social media or getting very drunk. In the end though, these things are not important and are making people less happy than they would be otherwise.
If people take a step back and focus their life on their purposes and goals, it will benefit them in the long run. Some basic behaviors for leading a better lifestyle are eating and sleeping right, as well as partaking in more physical activity. Strecher then recommends engaging with creativity and connecting with others in relationships. By remembering to put meaning into what is often times overlooked in a busy life, people are able to start living like today could be their last day.
Strecher shared with us that at age six months, his daughter Julia needed a heart transplant. She received it, but they never knew how long she might live. Because of this, they lived every day like it would be her last. They focused on the important things, making sure she had connections with people and taking advantage of any opportunity, knowing that any day could be her last. Julia died when she was 19, but her father said that at least they were at peace knowing that she lived an enriched life. Strecher went on to tell us that he will always be there for us and that he will speak to us as if though we are Julia. He gave us his office hours, assured us he would find a time if those did not work, and encouraged us to speak with him any time we wanted and about anything. Being a student at the University of Michigan, with over 40,000 of us here, I was extremely touched that Strecher would offer his time to complete strangers in order to benefit ourselves.
I personally found a lot of value in what he said. Too many times people do not realize how great it is to be alive and do even the simplest of things, like walking outside in the fresh air. However, if we knew that today would be our last day, we would not take for granted what we might on any other day. We would cherish the blue sky and green grass that we would never see again, and we would enjoy the last moments with our friends and family. We would devote some time of our day to a hobby we absolutely love because we would not be caught up living for tomorrow. By walking through life like it could be your last day, suddenly other things become important. Now of course that does not mean we will forget our responsibilities but rather learn how to balance them and remove the unnecessary stuff that is holding us back.
So if you want to be a doctor, or pursue another profession with rigorous education requirements, make sure you take measures to truly be certain that is the right profession for you. And if it is, remember still to keep your doors open and explore other interests. And if you still do not know what you want your future to hold, do not think you have to search for only one particular thing to meet your goals. What you do in your 30s could be completely different from the job you have in your 40s, yet both could be equally enriching. If you do not take time to cultivate your own interests and explore passions you may not have known, you could ultimately lose out on something you would have loved. It is important for me to know that at the end of my life I enjoyed my time spent here with the relationships I formed, the hobbies I cultivated, and all the special moments in between. Those moments are what will be important rather than the legacy I leave behind, for what I leave behind is nothing to what I have in the now.
Photos courtesy of Positive Business Conference, Joportal, and KLM Fashion Style.