I didn’t join a couple clubs in high school, I joined 10. I was President/Editor/Captain or something similar for over half of those extracurriculars. I took all the AP Classes my counselor would let me take, even when I knew a class would probably do more harm for my GPA than good (I’m looking at you AP Chemistry, I’m looking at you). I didn’t do it because I’m an overachiever.

I have looked a guy straight in the eyes and said “I have feelings for you.” I’ve gotten on a stage in front of a auditorium full of people, and read my really bad poetry out loud. I have bought a plane ticket at 11 PM to board the next morning. I have performed the half-time show for football games with my color guard team wearing head-to-toe spandex uniforms that did not hug in all the right places. I didn’t do it because I’m brave.

I just don’t half-ass anything.

It is not about morals. This sentiment doesn’t tell me what is right or what I should do, just provides the attitude in which I should act. This means that it also doesn’t confine the breadth of my experiences, allowing for growth, mistakes and overall lack of saintly-ness. Although I will concede that a literal reading of the idea provides room for excuses (like I’m just going to go ahead and finish this season of "Grey's Anatomy" because I already started re-watching it), the spirit of it is meant to place value to yourself.

Don’t confuse that with me having an overinflated sense of importance. Pragmatically, everyone can be replace (we’re not talking about love or relationships here). This is simply about acknowledging that first, everyone only has a finite about of time — time being the only currency in which we cannot gain. Second, we have the ability to improve ourself and our environment when spending said time. This is about the result.

The result for me, or why I follow this line of reasoning is because I want to know things. I want to know about current events, and how to properly work a table saw (just in case), and what the hottest new makeup products are, as well as what it feels like to travel Europe for a month. There is more to discover than I have the time to experience, therefore I commit myself to what seems like an overbearing amount of work. I’m also human. I have failed to live up to this standard — I’m really sorry about that Mandarin class I promise to take Dad. I have even outright abandoned it — who cares about the quality of my homework when Meredith Grey just went through another traumatic event, she needs me, okay? The point is to not allow myself to be complacent.

I think this “pull yourself up by the bootstrap” philosophy has worked out well for me so far. I scored a Capitol Hill internship despite knowing next to nothing about politics. I turned an addiction to social media to a communications job. I’m continuing my desire to ponder and story tell here on The Odyssey. Even though all these experiences do not lay out cohesively on a resume (linear pathways are boring anyways) I’m armed with bits of knowledge that are at least interesting if not useful whatsoever.

So stop half-assing and get at it.