How Do They Do It?
Image Courtesy: Chronicle
Why are they so far ahead? I turn around and look back at the steps I've taken. Facing forward, I look up at the enormous gap between myself and them. How did they get up there so fast? Did they skip steps? Maybe I should skip steps. I secure my shoelaces and begin taking giant lunges rapidly up the steps. I’m flying! I’m soaring! I’m unstoppable! That is, until I suddenly fall flat on my face. My head begins pounding, tears begin streaming, and I feel dizzy. I take a seat on one of the steps, placing my head down and full of defeat. Why are the stairs shiny before I reach them but dull after I’ve passed them? It is only when I look up that I notice the stairs below are disappearing. The walls around begin to close in, and the ground starts shaking. Am I running out of time? I quickly stand, look up, and, of course, there they are. At the top, smiling without a scratch or any sign of exhaustion. How did they do it?
As humans, we often strive for the goals we want to achieve. We become so passionate and obsess over every aspect of what we want. But along with the passion comes the pressure, comparisons, and anxiety. Another new car, another apartment, another promotion, another vacation, for them. . . yet nothing for me. We look at others around us who seem to have it all and wonder how they have it all figured out. Why am I not like them? Am I running out of time?
The intense pressure put on ourselves to determine how the remaining years of our lives will unfold is detrimental to our personal growth. This mindset is confining, and sacrifices future happiness for a fleeting sense of stability. Growth makes life worth living, and we must allow time and space for discovering new passions and opportunities. There is power in taking your time. While our time is limited, we need to make the most of it. We shouldn’t measure our joy and worth by our obedience to a strict life plan, but by our defiance as we deviate from the path and find our true selves.
Strike Out,
Writers: Shari Ryant & Caroline Higdon
Editors: Noelle Knowlton, Cristina Angee, & Jayna O
Tallahassee