By: Alli Prestby
From the day we are born, we are taught to start preparing for our future. Our parents are usually the driving force for this when we’re young. Putting money into a college savings account, pushing us to excel in school, teaching us life lessons — all beneficial for a variety of reasons, but a huge one being that they would help us out in the “long run.” This isn’t a bad thing by any means. After all, our future wouldn’t be too bright if we never gave it any thought. However, I believe our lives are in a constant pull between living in the moment while simultaneously preparing for the future. This pull has become much more prominent again in my life as I near graduation, and I think it’s something many seniors can relate to. In this blog, I’m going to talk about my experience with balancing the present and the future, and some tips on how to do so.
I have spent the past few months preparing for my post-graduation life. It started with the resume — I spent far more time working on my resume than I’d like to admit. Then came the job applications. Searching on LinkedIn every day, talking with potential connections, applying for everything that seemed like it could be a possible fit. (This stage – in my opinion – is exhausting.) I was lucky enough to land an amazing job pretty early in my job search, around mid-February. That means the stress is over, right?
Not quite. Now I’m searching for apartments, hunting for a new (used) car, and setting up a home office in my bedroom, all while trying to finish up the last few weeks of college. It seems like the days of preparing will never stop. Sometimes this can be tiring, but it’s also exciting. I’ve found myself counting down until I graduate because I’m so eager to jump into my full-time job and become a “real” adult.
But the other day, I had my last concert in my ensemble. The month before that I had my senior recital: the culmination of my entire piano degree. Suddenly the “lasts” of college are passing quicker and quicker. I stopped to think – do I really want to speed through this last bit of school just so I can get to the rest of my life, or do I want to appreciate it while I can? This is a hard balance to maintain. The excitement and preparation for the future can often leave us forgetting about the current moment we’re in.
So how can you do both? Here are some of the main ways I try to balance the future and present:
- Practice gratitude, in the little moments and the large. Be thankful for the people around you and the places you are in. Personally, this has been a big one whenever I’m walking around campus. Sometimes when I’m walking past the bell tower at sunset I’ll just stop and think to myself – wow, what a beautiful place that I’ve gotten to call home for four years.
- Say yes. Now, I know this is a controversial one, and I’m a firm believer in saying no to the things that do not fulfill you or do not serve your higher purpose. However, I’m talking about saying yes to the things that you love but don’t always do. Get ice cream with your roommates even though you have ice cream in the fridge. Meet up with that friend you don’t see very often even though it might be a little awkward. Go to the house show with the indie rock band you saw when you were in freshman year even though it might give you a headache. Long story short – say yes to the things you might not get to say yes to once you’ve left this stage of your life.
- Journal. This is one of the most powerful ways to capture your college years. Whether you sit down and write ten full pages about your week or you sit down and write ten bullet-point moments from your day, you will cherish looking back at this later in life. Journaling is also a great way to reflect on the day-to-day, both good and bad, and process your thoughts and emotions.
All that being said, it can be hard to find the time to do those things when you’re in the midst of writing cover letters and sending follow-up emails. This is when it comes down to choosing to make the present a priority. After all, no matter how hard you prepare for your future, it’s never guaranteed. I’ll end with one of my favorite quotes: “The best preparation for the future is to live as if there were none.” – Albert Einstein.