Press Pause. It's Okay.
A week and a half ago, I took my brother to Barnes & Nobles because he wanted to 'increase' his IQ by reading more books. Let me remind you that my brother is only thirteen years old and I've never told him this, but I believe he is secretly a genius (my mother would like to disagree, but that's okay). I know genius when I see it.
Anyway, I came across this book written by Katherine Schwarzenegger called, "I Just Graduated... Now What?" and immediately, I opened to the very first page.
Below is an excerpt of the first paragraph:
"Oh shit! I just graduated...Now what?"
That was the overwhelming thought running through my head on the day I walked across the stage and received my diploma in communication from the Annenberg School at the University of Southern California.
"Oh shit! Was this book written for me? Or what?! This is perfect!" I then spent the next twenty minutes skimming the book (thank you college for allowing me to excel in such skill) and was able to take away a couple of good points that I would like to share with you.
#1: We all know that life is riddled with tough questions whose answers we don't always know off the top of our heads. And the reality is, we will face these kinds of questions for most of our lives.
#2: We all want to press the Fast Forward button and figure out the answers. It's cool. We're all guilty of it. But every once in awhile, have the courage to first press the Pause button.
#3: Pausing allows you to take a beat---to take a breath in your life. As everybody else is rushing around like a lunatic, dare yourself to do the opposite.
#4: When you pause, you find out what's important to you, what you love, what's real and true to you---so that you can infuse and inform your work and make it your own.
#5: Reminder - Henry David Thoreau (love him) went to Walden Pond. Anne Morrow Lindbergh went to sea. Buddha, Gandhi, Mother Teresa---the greatest and wisest have often stopped and withdrawn from active lives to journey themselves. Guess what? The wisdom they garnered there and shared with us has impacted the world.
So while most of my friends are traveling the world, moving to different cities, training for their new jobs, I spent the past two months on Pause. It's not that I wasn't productive with my time. In fact, I've been working out five days a week, worked with one of the biggest television networks, and still have time to pick my brother up from tutoring at 1 PM every single afternoon. Life has been incredible, my friends. Yes, it's not as fast-paced as my days in college, but I'm blessed for the times that I get to just relax, enjoy, and reflect. Moreover, recharging feels amazing.
So for all my friends out there who still feel lost or confused, do not worry. It is okay and I am with you. Let's enjoy not knowing while we still can :-) And when we're ready, get your butt up and do work. Remember, opportunities do not come to those who wait, but to those who hustle.
