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finding your success

by Rebecca Johnson

What is success?

      Success can be defined in several ways.  Two of the most common classifications are materialistic success (for example, how much money you make) and academic success (what grades you get, did you graduate with honors, etc).   However, perhaps a better way to look at success is in terms of what I call “lifetime success”.  Lifetime success is determined not by your income and not by your grades but rather by your happiness. 

      Now in today’s day and age, it may seem that you need materialistic and academic success to be happy.  And maybe you do.  But I believe that you also need healthy relationships with friends and family, self respect, and something that you are passionate about.   

What can I do to achieve success?

      The first step in achieving success is figuring out what makes you happy.  The second is determining a way to get those things that make you happy.  Oh, and if only it were that simple…

      As you set out into the world you will most likely hear reminders to “stay focused on school” and “not get caught up in socializing”.  Here is your first major decision:  how much do you focus on school and how much do you spend getting to know your peers?  Despite what relatives and superiors might suggest, it is not good and it is not healthy to focus entirely on school and to forget about friends.  Of course, you are in college to learn.  But, remember, this learning does not come entirely from the lectures of your classrooms.  You will learn who you are and how to have healthy relationships by interacting with others.  Remember the goal of “lifetime success”, focusing on what will ultimately make you a happy person. 

Not focusing on books all the time is good?

      If you focus only on school, you will miss many opportunities to learn and grow.  And perhaps more importantly, you will miss chances to meet potential life-long friends.

      It will be very difficult at first to recognize the people that you will click with, the people that will make you happy.  Simply remember to open your eyes to the world and embrace opportunities.  Take chances and meet as many new people as possible.

      No, this does not mean it is good to go out and party or socialize every night, or even every weekend.  There always needs to be a balance.  What that balance is, ultimately, is up to you.  There are benefits to having more school time and less social, but there are also some benefits to having less school and more social.  Just remember, if considering the latter, that throwing academic opportunities away can be just as crippling, often even more so, than throwing away social opportunities.  You have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study with brilliant professors and to be inspired by your classes.  Do not throw it away.   

How can I learn to balance my time?

      This is something that nearly everyone struggles with at some point.  And unfortunately, there is no universal solution.  For some people, balancing can be done by making schedules.  This is the method I’ve chosen in the past.  It allows you to schedule in downtime and fun social activities while making sure you have time to do the necessary, “not so fun”, activities.  The one catch to this method is you need to be realistic regarding how much time things can take.  When scheduling in time to, for example, write a paper, you need to overestimate how long it will take.  Give yourself room to adjust to unexpected problems such as writer’s blocks or computer malfunctions.  In general, it’s a good idea to schedule in your academic items first and social second.  Your friends will, most likely, forgive you for showing up late to a social event; your teachers may not be as lenient.  By making lists and schedules, you can be sure to fit in time for both social and academic endeavors.

      To get more suggestions on balancing time, check out this article on one of my favorite sites:

www.organized-living.com

What if I don’t know what I want to do with my life?

      To answer this question, I’d like to start by quoting Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen” speech.  He states, “Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year  
olds I know still don’t.”  In short, take your time. 

      Find things that you are passionate about, that inspire you and make you happy.  Go from there.  Base your major not on what you think will get you the best job out of college.  Instead, base it on what interests you and what topics you’d be excited to learn more about.  It may sound cheesy, but follow your heart.  Don’t get discouraged if you can’t figure out what you want the rest of your life to look like.  It will all fall into place eventually.  For now, focus on finding things that you’re passionate about.   

How do I find what I’m passionate about?

      Keep your eyes open.  Embrace the opportunities given by your college or university.  Try classes that you didn’t think you’d ever be interested in, give new sports and activities a shot.  If you’ve always been a math and science person, try taking a sociology or foreign language class.  If you’ve always been good with literature and writing, try a calculus or physics class. 

      Most schools allow you at least 3 weeks, usually more, to drop a class without it affecting your transcript (but do check with your specific college on this, you don’t want to miss a deadline).  So don’t be afraid to try things out for a few weeks.  Worst case scenario, you’ll hate it and you’ll drop it, no harm done. 

      In short, take a few risks, step outside your academic and extracurricular comfort zones and take advantage of all your college has to offer.

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