Tick. Tick. Tick.
The clock keeps moving. We watch it pass. We chase it and yet we cannot keep up with it, nor can we stop its progression. Time: the non-recoverable, ongoing, linear force that controls and maintains our lives. It is the most valuable, nonrefundable resource in the sense that once it is gone, it can no longer be revived or reproduced exactly to its entirety. Our lives run on time and we cannot go back, we can only proceed forward as we watch the clock ticking. We have to keep going; we have no other choice. We cannot stop time from proceeding but we can control what we decide to do with our time. As soon as we are born, our internal clocks start ticking and continue to tick. What we decide to do with our time is valuable. If time is out of our control, then why do college students always fixate on it?
Tick. Tick. Tick.
As college students we are put on the clock. We are expected to manage our rigorous academic schedule, participation in clubs and organizations and still maintain a social life. On top of all of this, we are also forced to think about the future and pick our majors and career path. As a result, students are constantly plagued with stress and find themselves questioning every decision. What is the most valuable way to spend my time in any given day? Am I involved enough on campus? Is my major what I enjoy? What internship should I apply for? How are some people so certain in what they want to do? College students constantly try to make themselves appear to be the ideal college student, but if college students focus so much on our future, are we going to miss out on something in the present?
Tick. Tick. Tick.
I have found myself paying particular attention to time. Time is constantly lurking and making its presence known to me. Sometimes time moves slowly, sometimes it moves fast. Sometimes I want to live in a moment forever and it goes by too fast. Other times I want to escape a moment and time seems to linger. I am constantly thinking about what I want my future to look like. I would like a good and successful career, a loving family, and of course a tan French bulldog. What I seem to miss out on is what I want my life to look like now. Day to day I live my life, but am I truly living it to the fullest if I am constantly trying to escape my present by looking towards my future?
Tick. Tick. Tick.
The only form of our time we can control is the present. We fixate on the “what ifs” of our future and wonder what our present would be like if our past was different. We dwell on the past, dream to the future, and forget about the present. College perpetuates our fixation on the future, so we have no choice but to look into our future while being here. The advice that I have for college students is to not lose sight of the past and to not worry about the future. Whatever happened in the past happened for a reason. The future will happen the way it is destined to and it will work itself out accordingly. Not everything has to be known about our futures right now so focusing on it will just cause unnecessary stress. Focus on the present. Be in the moment or else it will slip away too quickly. Time is only going to keep moving, we might as well live it to the fullest.
Tick. Tick. Tick.