The To Do List of Life

To Do: Realize That the Future Really Isn’t That Scary

We seem to hate the future. It’s vast and unknown. However, we’re going to live through it either way. Why not make it the best for your future self? Why aren’t we trying to make the world as beautiful, efficient, and safe as we can? Probably because we’re human, we fall into the same routine, making us lazy, and the thought of changing that routine, or doing something out of our comfort zone, makes us scared.

I had a dinner discussion with a center I’m in on campus. It’s the center for faith and public policy. Our last guest speaker was a recently graduated college student. She graduated a year prior and spoke on her journey on “the other side”. We mentioned being scared for the next steps and how none of us feel truly prepared (granted, I’m a freshman among some of my peers who are seniors). However, I feel like the preparation for what we will be doing for the rest of our lives is so unknown.

As of right now, I want to go to law school. I don’t know what specialty I want to pursue nor what an LSAT will be like. But I’m excited. I realized there’s no point in being worried about the future, and excitement should take over. We can feel nervous that things won’t work out or that our path will change, but at the end of the day, I am happy where I am and I trust that it will lead to greater things.

Do I still worry that law school isn’t the right decision, that it’s too expensive, too hard, that maybe I’m too ambitious? Absolutely. But the motivation that I have to be successful in a career is too grand to justify my worry. I want to be proud of what I do; I want to make a difference. The justice system needs all the help it can get, and I want to be a part of it.

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The Future is Changing

Our generation is starting to flourish with this growing mindset. We are sick and tired of the fast and constant flood of negative and frankly stupid content. Unless you’re using social media correctly, like checking in on friends, looking up a specific topic, or gathering information, you are bombarded with content you don’t relate to or begin to compare yourself to everyone else’s lives. We aren’t meant for that; we should feel comfortable in our lives, happy where we are, or ready for something new. Never should we feel as though we are behind, not living our life the way we want, merely because an influencer is good at making their life look perfect. It will never be perfect; anxiety, stress, and worry are part of being human, yet they should never take over our lives. My generation is brought up in a world of technology, and instead of letting it control our lives, we are beginning to turn away from it, or at least control it ourselves. Let’s start living in the moment and putting our phones down. Why should we let a little black screen control our mood, our everyday actions, and our mindsets? Focus on you and your future. I’m excited for mine; how about you?

Stop worrying; be in the present moment; don’t fill your head with fear when there are opportunities right in front of you.

A common theme that comes up when I talk to others about the future is faith over fear. We constantly feel scared of the future; however, we do it anyway. Why? We have unconscious faith in ourselves. We aren’t using that power enough. We have the time, the resources, the connections, so many things to be grateful for, but we aren’t using them to our full potential. Every conversation I have from now on, I want something to come out of it. I want to learn something. Every hour of my day, I want to spend doing something better for me. Now that looks different every day and we should still give ourselves grace (thank you mom for that tip). So, if that hour is spent doing homework, do that homework outside to fulfill yourself because you know you’ll feel better if you do it in the fresh air. If you’re annoyed, you’re stuck in traffic, throw on a podcast about your future career or interest. Do what benefits your future, and it will change your mindset. Annoying things like homework and chores won’t feel so burdensome. Let’s romanticize life because I’m so grateful to be here, and I hope you are too.