Oh existential crisis

Going through school, whether elementary or college, we are always in this constant mid-life crisis. Or maybe that’s just me. But everyone goes through some form of a crisis. They become overwhelmed with the vastness of the world that they do not know what to do with themselves besides curl up in a ball and hide in their basement. There is always the ever consistent questioning of what we are going to with our futures. An entire life lays ahead, paths waiting to be worn by new feet. Obviously, not every single path can be traveled. But what if you miss out on something? You will go through life and miss out on some of the most incredible experiences all because for the rest of your breathing days, you get to do one thing. All because you found a ring named Precious and there is simply no getting away from it without falling into a pit of lava. In some way, your entire life will spiral into nothingness.

Wrong.

Number one: you will not end up sitting in an office building for your entire career. That part time job where you bagged groceries in high school? You probably had that job for the money, not long term.  This is the kind of perspective you have to have. The job you have in school is not likely to be the same one you have in twenty years’ time. Sure, you will specialize in something, writing, cooking, or maybe being a scientist. But that does not limit a person from experiencing fields besides their own. Take writing for example (my favorite thing to do). There are writers literally everywhere. EVERYWHERE. They find their niche in magazines, newspaper, novels, and blogging. The list goes on. Perhaps you would start off at a small newspaper near you, start to build up a fabulous portfolio. Then you climb the ladder from there. You won’t experience just journalism, though. You’ll find yourself in any kind of writing medium, maybe traveling around the world. Maybe you like biology, and find yourself writing up articles for the Scientific American. Opportunities are endless.

Martin L. King Jr. once said, "If you can't be the sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are."  If you find yourself in a job with a low pay, and it looks to be no way of getting out, do not drop everything. There is nothing wrong with being thirty and washing cars for a living. Guess what? You have a living. Do that job as best as you can. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up running that car wash or inventing a new foamy wash that makes cars fly. Maybe I’m overly optimistic. Perhaps this is what I tell myself when I find my life spiraling down. Either way, King has a great way of putting the future into perspective. Do the best you can offer with anything you do. More importantly, know that whatever you end up doing with your life, it is not limited.