What is life about?
What is being a student about? As a student of a large University such as USC, I have realized that there is more to life than obtaining a 4 year degree and finishing school. We work in our lives day to day hoping to just survive and pass our next midterms but we always forget the most important thing in life. We ought to change the world each day and strive to work in the best possible way to bring quality and compassion into the people around us. A student should mean being educated and being more sophisticated right? But in actuality, you’re learning to become institutionalized into the thinking of being subservient and passive in your thinking. Independent thought and intellectual wellbeing should be the goal of any individual and questions should be 20 chapters thick. Don’t be the countless of millions of students who traverse the intellectual steamboat to go back to a more normal typical lifestyle. You should become a mentor, educate others, and contribute back to society.
What are Friends? What happens when you need to call on friends and they don’t show? What happens when you get a flat tire and you need to ask for help? People think they have a lot of friends but who are your TRUE friends? The power of friendship can be overlooked many times throughout the life of a friendship but how strong is that connection? Who cares if you live a long life and get paid 6 figures a year with benefits? Is it worth living knowing that the people around you are living a more destitute life while you sip your wine glass in a house of cards? Friends are there whenever you call them, friends ask you how your day went and why you’re feeling like a box of sadness. They shape your life forever.
What is in a dream? What is your goal? You should know this the second someone asks you this question. It should be so open ended that nobody can tell what it is. If you plan your life out too strictly, you constrain yourself to that only possibility where life can have had other plans for you. Having the ability to change with the direction of wind is a marvelous gift anybody in your shoes can do. Don’t restrict yourself and limit yourself to being mediocre. You should be that person with a dream and reach it. Don’t let a dream die or a part of you will die with it. People with dreams should work hard and actually try to get them to the playing field and see how it plays out. Having a partner that shares your dream is a person who is your supporter, your provider, and your whole being. Never let go of that person and keep those dreams alive.
What is risk? Risk – “noun 1. The possibility of suffering harm or loss; danger”. The official Webster definition should change to “The everyday decision where harm or loss is up to the individual”. Having the ability to take your life into your own hands is a major risk everyone in the world deals with. It is sad to think others in the world such as you and me reading this article are one of the lucky ones. What if you had only 1 week to live and never experienced the things you wish you could’ve done when you had MORE time. Put that remote control down, walk outside, look at the sky and just make a mental note about your sense of being. Risk is a state of mind and the only risk people worry about is the risk of how much money they will lose when they place a bet on blackjack but I’m not talking about financial risk, I’m talking about personal risk. Can you break out of the mold and be unique and satisfying? I’m not saying to be in the left field but more towards an elevated place in the middle. Different from the general pack with the ability to move things towards the greater good, it’s only scary because it’s different. Don’t be afraid to be different, leaders don’t become great by becoming non-risk takers.