To the ones in a rush to do everything:
Those kids, you know, that are part of eight clubs, six volunteer groups, do well in school, and still squeeze in time to attend every social event? They’ve got plans on top of plans, can often be found with heads spinning, and they spend more time focused on the future than living in the present. They’re the “do it all” kids. They are the ones that want to save the world, change the world, save lives, save animals, feed the hungry, graduate with honors, and land the perfect job right out of school. There is a fire burning that urges them to somehow accomplish everything they plan to- in the least amount of time as possible, ASAP, at this very moment. They’re in a hurry to get to the finish and it seems they never slow down.
I myself am a “do it all” kid. I want to graduate, get a job, save lives, get married, start a family, and travel the world, and I want to do it all right now. A crucial fact I often overlook in my intense planning is that I will only be 21 when I graduate college. That is so young, and I will have so much time ahead of me. That’s easy to forget when looking at both the big picture and the minute details I get so hung up on. I find myself working through, over and over, how I am going to manage the two degrees I plan to earn, for a job that doesn’t *technically* exist, but I plan to make a reality. I am currently studying to be a CLS/RN, which would be a Child Life Specialist and Registered Nurse. I am passionate about children and pediatric medicine, and I found that combining these two certifications and fields of study would be the best of both worlds and that I would be a valuable asset to hospitals. The waiting game is what is killing me. I want to get to the medicine and fast-paced hospital environment now.
Let me share with you something my mom tells me (over and over, because it takes a while to register, because I am too busy panicking over how to get where I am going as fast as possible)… You have time. You are doing enough and you are enough. Just focus on getting a degree.
The truth is, we cannot do it all at once. We can do it all, but we have to learn to pace ourselves and “trust the process”. Our future plans will be upon us sooner than we realize, and we will find ourselves wondering where our time went. My dad likes to talk about something my grandpa used to say that I think about often. My grandpa used to remind people to “be there”. If we rush through life trying to get to the next thing, we will miss out on so much. We will miss the chance to “be there” for ourselves and others and for moments we will never experience again nor forget. More motherly advice (because Mom, you were right... There, I said it.): Just get your degree. Study what you are interested in, get involved in what fuels your passion. Everything falls into place and where you are is exactly where you are meant to be at this point in time. You have time to make something of yourself, to grow physically, mentally, and emotionally, and to tap into every option available to you. So, take a step back, take a deep breath. Look at the big picture, and make sure to factor in the realistic amount of time you have left to figure it all out.
We can make as many plans as we want, but, as cliche as it sounds, there truthfully is no telling what the future is going to bring. The careers we want are going to advance, changing needs will produce new jobs, and we, the developing brains of the millennial generation, will be well equipped to adapt to and mold into whatever we may find ourselves doing. There is no sense in rushing ourselves through the formative years of college and missing out on all our options by solely focusing on one path. Find what path works for you to get where you want to go, and follow that path wherever it may end up taking you- whether that destination was part of your original plan or not.
We are the kids who plan to do it all. We’re going to be the ones saving lives, changing the world, and making a real difference. We want to do it all, and we will…But all in good time. Just breathe.
Sincerely,
A Do It All Kid With A New Perspective on Time
