Learn To Escape The Ordinary World | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health Wellness

Learn To Escape The Ordinary World

Start embracing change and stop running from it

79
Learn To Escape The Ordinary World
Holland Houghton

The other day when I was making my way to class, I saw some kid think it would be a bright idea to drive his moped through the mud, and manage to get it stuck. The kid continued to rev the bike over and over and over again, just digging himself into an even bigger hole. As I watched the kid not make one change to how he was approaching the situation, it made me think how often people approach their lives like that.

We've all been in the position before where we feel as though we've gotten ourselves so stuck in a rut that instead of stopping and assessing the situation, we just grab a shovel and keep on digging because China has to be down there somewhere. I myself am guilty of approaching a situation the same way repeated times, then boiling over with frustration wondering why nothing is changing.

We constantly let ourselves get trapped in routines. Where we become so comfortable with doing the same thing every day, that when life decides to change things up on us, we have a meltdown. Instead of veering off from our previous planned out day and adjusting our approach, we try to avoid whatever is creating a change. Then shockingly are in a puddle of frustration and despair by the day's end because nothing turned out how it should have according to our "plan".

The sooner we can begin to stray from the main roads and shift our viewpoints, change will begin to become less of an obstruction to our day.

I use to always plan out my days because I hated the feeling of not knowing what was coming next. Then I met a friend who practically dragged my reluctant self out of my comfort zone. He had such a go with the flow attitude embedded in him it forced me to start going along with every crazy idea that popped in his head.

After a while of being hesitant to never knowing what he was going to throw at me, I accepted that it was easier to give in to the fact I had no idea what the day actually held. That was when I started to actually feel more in control of my life. I begin to stop thinking five steps ahead all the time and started actually living in the moment.

Trust me I still do like having a plan some days, and depending on the type of change that occurs will get frazzled here and there. However, the more I just accept that change is inevitable, allowing myself to learn new ways to approach situations, the better my day goes. Then I actually find myself excited to see what the day will throw at me, not worrying about my ability to handle whatever it is.

Unfortunately, nothing is ever going to fully go as planned. So instead of holding on to your set guidelines for dear life and only approaching a situation the way your most comfortable, go with the flow. After all, according to Einstein, the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

1810
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1166
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 20 Thoughts College Students Have During Finals

The ultimate list and gif guide to a college student's brain during finals.

337
winter

Thanksgiving break is over and Christmas is just around the corner and that means, for most college students, one hellish thing — finals week. It's the one time of year in which the library becomes over populated and mental breakdowns are most frequent. There is no way to avoid it or a cure for the pain that it brings. All we can do is hunker down with our books, order some Dominos, and pray that it will all be over soon. Luckily, we are not alone in this suffering. To prove it, here are just a few of the many deranged thoughts that go through a college student's mind during finals week.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

28 Daily Thoughts of College Students

"I want to thank Google, Wikipedia, and whoever else invented copy and paste. Thank you."

1759
group of people sitting on bench near trees duting daytime

I know every college student has daily thoughts throughout their day. Whether you're walking on campus or attending class, we always have thoughts running a mile a minute through our heads. We may be wondering why we even showed up to class because we'd rather be sleeping, or when the professor announces that we have a test and you have an immediate panic attack.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments