Over this past week, I finally reached a large milestone. My venture into adulthood became complete as I turned 21, finally able to venture into the Corner Club or the liquor store unimpeded.
In the following days, I learned a lot about my liver’s limits and how to actually balance work and play. There may be no greater test than going through one of life’s great celebrations during the same week in the academic calendar projects are ending, presentations are everywhere and finals are looming just around the corner.
In spite of the struggle, I did in fact survive such a challenging concoction of events, and there were plenty of lessons with applications far beyond surviving the first drinks.
Improvisation over everything
There are plenty of reasons for creating the best-laid plans. There are a thousand studies that could be cited for how planning your study and work time reduce stress and increase productivity, but even the most meticulous plans will encounter something unforeseen. This could be something as trivial as stubbing your toe on a stair or something as difficult as running out of gas on your way to work.
Jonah Baker | Argonaut
I managed to experience similar highs and lows in my years in college, but the most important thing I learned is not some procedural silver bullet or infallible preparation techniques.
Becoming flexible with improvisation is the key to just about everything in life, whether that be switching a paper’s thesis when inspiration strikes or taking a shot that definitely looks like it has too much Tabasco in it. In most cases, improvising will lead to the kind of experiences that can be called upon in job interviews or fondly remembered with friends for the rest of time.
The vast majority of us have spent about two decades preparing and drilling to become the best versions of ourselves, but that preparation only goes so far in creating the memorable lives we truly desire and deserve.
Adaptation over anxiety
Like many this may sound easier said than done and required literal decades for me to understand. When faced with any kind of problem, there is somewhat of a fight-or-flight reaction. The problem either takes on a life of its own as a cause of stress, or it becomes an obstacle to be adapted to.
This is especially common in students who have had the unfortunate honor of attending gifted and talented programs in primary school, where they were often made aware of ‘advanced cognitive abilities’ or some similar well-intentioned but terribly executed attempt at advancement.
Many students had the experience of solving problems others could not, so when they come across something even they themselves cannot overcome, the answer must be that there is not solution and to curl up into a very sad ball and listen to Lana Del Rey.
Taking the small step to telling oneself that each problem we encounter in college has probably been solved by thousand of others before us can be a reassuring exercise. Further, making the conscious choice to adapt to these problems is a small but truly impactful action that can make all the difference.
Make time for those who matter
Life does not stop when you turn 21. Looping back to school, I had work and projects to tend to mere hours after crawling through Main Street’s bars, but it is important to find a balance between working hard and spending time with the people that matter.
I did enough work in advance that I was able to semi-comfortably enjoy some time out with friends I had not seen in a long time, but even still I was somewhat stressed the next day while working through projects.
In the end, it won’t be the difference between a B or an A that I or anyone else remembers. As long as my choices do not place undue stress on others who don’t deserve such things, I have learned to almost always choose to spend my time with people. That may be more of a personal choice than the other points on this list, but I will always stand by it. In college and elsewhere, regret is something that happens far more often from late nights, bleary-eyed in front of a computer screen than over a bowl of popcorn and a tub at the Club with friends.
We have all gone through some sort of intense schooling to get to this point in our academic careers. At least in my case, the next steps are not to continue down such a straight-and-narrow line, but rather to find the balance between setting up for the future and making sure college is as memorable as it should be. All it takes is a little flexibility and people that matter.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker