Succeed, Don't Settle ["Whatever you are..."]

I just came from a small honors class, made up of ten students, that we are all required to take for a scholarship.  Today's discussion was on the book "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life" by William Deresiewicz (which is an extremely interesting read, FYI).  Our discussion was all about the pressures our generation faces, starting as early as middle school or elementary school, to go on this "fast track" to be successful in college...because success in college obviously equates to success in life.  There is this obscene pressure to jump through all the hoops to get to college and then to be sure you are majoring in something "worthwhile"--something that will equate to a great career with great money.  We all are stuck in this perpetual cycle of having to perform well on exams, do all the right extracurriculars, get a 4.0 GPA, and jam-pack our schedules with whatever college admissions, or grad school admissions, or potential employers want to see.  We do what we have to do...to do what the system wants us to.  We are stuck in this mode where going to college, getting a degree that's "worthwhile," and getting a "good" job is all that matters.

Well, I say no.

I am a product of this system.  I did the "advanced" program in high school, filled my days with extracurriculars (some of which I actually enjoyed), and spent many nights suffering away at homework so that I could maintain as perfect of a GPA as possible.  I got no sleep, had no free time, and had mental breakdowns on a daily basis.  Yet, by doing all of that, I was classified as a "smart" student--one of the ones that would succeed in college and life.  I was getting what I thought I wanted.  I was performing well academically.  I was doing what was expected.  I was doing what was "right."

Honestly, I had to jump through the hoops to get into, and be able to afford, a college where I could study what I loved.  So that was blah, and I'm not totally sure what the solution to that is.  But I got there.  Then, I took a "wrong turn."  I decided to major in Arts Administration.  That's always an awkward conversation.  "Oh!" the person says, realizing that they don't know how to respond to my statement of what I major in, except with the good old follow-up question of, "...what are you going to do with that?"  My outward response varies day by day, because, to be honest, I'm not sure what I want to do with it...there are lots of options.  Specifically, what I want to do with it changes on a day to day basis sometimes.  I have some ideas, but I'm not totally sure what I want (please, I'm 19).  But, inwardly, I know what I'm "doing with that"...I'm doing what I want to be doing...I'm doing what I love.

To some people, I'm no longer "succeeding."  To some people, I'm "settling" for a career that won't bring in all the money.  I'm "settling" for something that I love, when I could be doing something much more academic and prestigious, and making so much more money.  I had that "potential."  Now, most people won't tell me that to my face because they are polite, but I can sense it.  It's awkward.  I was a very academically inclined student in high school.  Sure I loved the arts, but that was a hobby...not so much a career.

Well, here's what's up.  I'm doing what I love, and I'm planning to make a career out of it (although, honestly, making a life is more important than making a career in my opinion, so that's my real goal).  I'm not settling instead of succeeding, I'm succeeding instead of settling.  I'm doing what matters to me.

Also, here's the other thing about college.  I'm just as busy, if not busier.  I'm taking 18 hours of classes, involved in two choirs and an a cappella group (aka a lot of rehearsals and concerts/gigs happen), have a (small) part-time job, and go to Christian Student Fellowship and church.  I don't really have time to breathe half the time (HA!).  Sometimes I get stressed out, but I'm mostly excited.  My days are jam-packed like they were in high school--but they are now jam-packed with things I love.  I enjoy my classes for the most part, I'm interested in what I'm learning about, and my future is no longer full of hoops to jump through.  Instead, my future is full of adventures that I look forward to taking.  It's not about pleasing society and doing what I'm "supposed" to do.  It's about doing what I'm called to do.

So, this is me saying, "I quit."  I quit doing things that I don't want to do.  I quit accepting that there is only one or two paths to "success."  I quit the thinking that what I'm doing is less valid or important than what anyone else is doing.  I quit caring about what others think.

The only people who had a say in what I did with my life became me and, because I am a Jesus follower, God.  I listened to Him and His calling for my life that was evident in what I was passionate about.  Then I did that.  And worked hard to stop jumping through hoops, which is an ever-present learning experience.

The education system and the people we meet are all sending us so many messages about who we should be and what we should do, but only you can know what's best for you.  So, I challenge you to challenge the system.  When given a narrow path to walk, say "NO" and write your own story.  Use what you know to make a good decision (aka don't go do stupid things), but make it your decision.  Not society's.  Not anyone else's.  Go be the engineer, doctor, lawyer, artist, journalist, meteorologist, biologist, policeman, social worker, teacher, or whatever else that you are.

Whatever you are, be a good one.

-Abraham Lincoln