After dropping out of college last year, I kept wondering what to do with my life. The choices ranged from going back to school, which was obviously not something that interested me, to writing full time – reviewing apps, covering news, and whatnot. I chose the latter because it’s what interested me to the most. But I didn’t know that I was choosing anything different from just a job, for it has become far more than that. A career isn’t something you have expertise in, visiting the office only during work hours and doing other things like socializing with the rest of your time. No no no, it’s your life.
And if it’s not, then something is wrong.
These past few months, I’ve discovered that work shouldn’t be looked at as the way to survive, but rather who you are in this world. It defines everything about you, not just who you are at your workplace. That’s just some absurd notion that most people think to be true. Your work shapes nearly every bit of who you are and is never something to be taken lightly. If it’s your life, then why aren’t you trying very hard? It’s the only thing you have to contribute to this world while you’re alive, so make it count.
You don’t want to try? Then it’s time to find another job. If it’s something you love to do, then you should want to be giving your best effort to it. If not, I’d suggest you think about what I said before: your life is your job. Without your job, who are you? Life isn’t about relaxing all the time, it’s about balancing things and your job always requires more weight than anything else in your life. When you enter that workplace, do it with a mindset that looks at the bright future, not one that’s lying in the moment. Be optimistic all the time or have nothing to live for at all.
(Okay sure, you can go find a deity, but that’ll only solve half your problems. You’ll still be bored of doing nothing more than, well, nothing.)
This is me asking you to realize what you have and stop being so indolent as to push it away slowly. Life would be miserable if we were allowed to go on cruises all the time, hang out with friends a lot, and live what some would call “the life”. It’d be life redefined and this doesn’t need to happen. Life is good, you’re just missing the point!
Writing is my favorite thing to do, even when I’m burnt out on it. I started this because I wanted to be someone. Why should I simply be another face that is of little meaning to people’s lives? I shouldn’t; I should stop wasting time on such an effort. I write because I want to be influential, even if it’s just to one person. Yes, I value my readership greatly, but I don’t rely on it to let me write things.
I’m glad I didn’t go to college to become one of the many – but let me clarify as not all – students that give everything in school the least amount of effort possible. This shouldn’t be the way to learn. The only thing education has ever tried to do is teach people things and if they don’t want to learn it, then they shouldn’t be there! The majority of parents, students, and teachers cannot grasp this. If there’s no will, then there is no way with this generation.
You can be whoever you want to, so stop wasting time and go act on it already. And make it count.