Life 101

Beyond our reach

We are college students and are on our way to success. Of course, some obstacles will appear on our way toward greatness, but we are tough enough to handle them—right? What if we could peer 10 years into our own futures? Would we like what we see? Will we be that big New York banker making six figures, driving expensive cars and dining at the country club? Will we see ourselves married with kids, attending Little League games and going to the town zoo once a week?

Or maybe, will we be working a regular nine-to-five job, complaining daily about how much we wish we could have stayed in school longer and taken it more seriously?

Our future, the mysterious unknown, is beating us over the head day by day. In effect, everything you do today will have an impact on tomorrow. Everything we do tomorrow might affect us two to three years from now. This is just simple science—the cause-and-effect formula. If we look at ourselves in the mirror, are we at a point in our lives where we can be satisfied with our accomplishments?

If not, then what would we change? What would help us reach the point where we are truly content with the way things turned out? Well, we all know once we graduate, many of us will be swimming in debt, some will be married and others will still be pursuing graduate degrees while some are working full time.

So where am I going with all this? Well, there are so many people who are not satisfied with their personal lives. This column is not meant to depress you but, in fact, to provide you with the motivation to aspire toward your goals.

It is a wide-open world out there. Each and every one of us can be anything we choose. The keys to truly achieving greatness are: persistence, determination and very big hunger—a hunger to transform yourself to your own ideal, persistence to roll with the punches and a determination to keep striving for excellence. We all have it inside us. We all want to be the best.

Think every day about planning your goals and reaching them. Nobody said life would be easy. Like a wise man once said, “Sh-- happens.” We cannot predict our own future, but we are all in a great position to control it. We can learn what we need today to be prepared for tomorrow.

In fact, here is some advice to all of you out there reading this column: Just think of what you are doing now—think of all the things you are involved in, whether classes, work or relationships. Are these things congruent with the direction you want your future to go? Are these aspects of your life changing you into the person you want to be?

If you said “yes” to these two questions, then congratulations. You have it together, and you will make your future work for you.

If you said “no” to either or both of these questions, then you should find some time to step back and re-evaluate the current direction your life is taking. It is important to try things a different way and to pick up the pieces of your life where it seems to have fallen apart.

Life is a game. We are all players, and we can all be winners. We have to know when to fold and when to play the hand. We all have to remember that the poker game will keep going until our ends. The only real question is whether you will be prepared when a bad hand is dealt your way.