On this blog, we’ve discussed situations that occur while already on a path that you’ve chosen. Today, we are going to cover a topic that ideally should take place before you start a new endeavor. That being said, this topic is also encountered when a “reality check” happens. It is always good to understand what your goals are before setting off onto a mission or stepping forward into a new chapter in life. Although that isn’t required, much like it is unlikely that a high school student knows what they will end up doing in 10 years-time, having some expectations about the future or plans are certainly helpful.
An aspect that comes with finding one’s purpose, or at least an intention with a specific action, is being able to define the scope of activities that would be acceptable for someone to do. For example: if you know that by the end of the year you want to have read 60 books, it wouldn’t be wise to also commit to watching as many TV shows as possible as well. However, in life, we notice that these types of decisions are not as clear-cut as this example. Should we give time to a help a friend’s side hustle or sign up to volunteer at an honorable non-profit organization, while also walking our paths to achieving the goals we originally set out to do? Some side quests are helpful and provide good lessons to the primary challenge, like the “Edgehills” we have mentioned earlier in this blog. However, there is an honest question that we each must ask ourselves on whether our efforts are going to be placed where we honestly want them to be while piling up the proverbial “plate” that is the daily schedule of our lives. Most people who end up with “too much on their plates” have questions to answer on this subject.
Now I should also note that the opposite side of this situation, not having enough activities on the schedule and strictly focusing on your primary goals is also not ideal. Specifically in the STEM world, this is how we end up with “degenerative” systems that do not consider the human and biological surroundings when planning a project. A primary example of this would be designing a master-planned neighborhood in a natural floodplain or wetland. The infrastructure design, the housing architecture, and the business might be great; but wait until a good rainy season comes back around… and see what happens. By zoning in, you are allowing yourself to limit your vision on what you think is right. By doing so, you are also negating the opportunity to be educated by situations that you have not yet encountered.
And this is where we finally get to the question of persistence. Should we allow others to affect our trajectory when it comes to advice or taking advantage of your abilities and strengths? Well, it depends. What are their intentions? Do you trust them? Even as a mentee, do you see where their tutelage could take you or help you grow? Are these things helpful to you to reach and achieve your goals? Sure, you might find yourself being tricked sometimes; however, with time you’ll learn from experience, and other’s as well, how to distinguish a friend from a distraction.
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Happy trails!