I'm proud to present some words of wisdom from the mafia- by far his best yet:
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I'm a huge proponent of the "let life just happen" mindset, where you don't try to plan all too much, but just kinda do whatever the moment inspires. I like living life as a hang glider, just going where the wind takes you. However, when hang gliding, this year has taught me exactly what to beware of, look for, and take advantage of, and eventually reminded me exactly why I love letting life surprise me. Thus, I'm going to be a bit cheesy and stick with this hang gliding analogy.
So this is what I learned.
When you're up in the air riding them daily thermals of life, you are inevitably going to see those who are not so carefree in their approach to life. Now, before I dive more into this, I just want to say, that these ultra motivated people are destined to be successful, and will most likely achieve their goals. But what I've realised this semester, is that while these people will undoubtedly make it rain, happiness is another matter. This semester when I saw those around me focused in on goals that were years away, like they were all that was worth living for, it forced me to question my own views. Was I suddenly behind the times, and lost? I mean, it is the final season. Finale is coming up fast.
For a while I thought I was in identity crisis mode, but after some late nights in lau and some soul searching provided by Natural Light, I realized that the reason I (and hopefully, we) live a life that takes me in numerous different directions, is that to put it simply, its too early to know exactly what you want in need in life, and by forcing yourself down a particular path, you deny yourself the experiences that will allow you to truly know where you want your hang gliding journey to end. So, when you see people who are fully focused on one particular goal, its important to recognize it and get out of their path and continue to live your life, as in the end both of your journeys will end, and when you look around, you might not be where you originally thought you would be, but you'll be somewhere you want to be, and you'll be happy of the journey that brought you there.
Now when making this journey, its also important to know that you don't have to make the trip by flying solo. Inevitably, there are going to be highs and lows as you ride the thermals of life. And while your journeys are most certainly different, your friends experiences and presence can be the stabilizing force during the rocky parts of your journey. By allowing you to gain perspective on your own journey, you can make better choices on the lifts and waves that appear in your future. This might seem inconsequential or unnecessary given your situation, but believe me--we all experience eerily similar problems, and the only way to get ahead, is to learn from the experiences of others. Now as a fiercely independent person, this lesson was not easy to learn, but in the end it made the difference between a disappointing semester and one that was well worth remembering.
Why have I let my life glide so whimsically in the wind? It's not to impress Mom or Dad, to fit some bullshit needs society places on our shoulders, or to be someone you can read about on wikipedia. It is because I believe unequivocally the life is worth living.
When you wake up 20 years from now, what will matter most is not the car in your driveway, the 0's on your paycheck, or the title in front of your name. What will matter most, is being able to look yourself in the mirror and know that you enjoyed the journey, and that regardless of the mistakes made along the way, you're happy of where you ended up, and how you got there. Today there is constant talk of the ends justifying the means, and while that might be true in certain circumstances, when it comes to the journey of life, if you don't enjoy the ride, your just selling yourself short.
Enjoy the summer ya'll and go live the life you want to.
-The Mafia
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