Inside November 16, 2004's Issue

Happy Holidays From the Six Mile Post

Thanksgiving Memories

Time flies when you're having fun

Recently, I attended my ten year high school reunion, and I couldn't believe that 10 years had passed so quickly. It seemed like I graduated yesterday. I can still clearly see in my mind walking towards the podium, accepting my diploma and then at the end throwing my cap into the air.

How did the time pass so quickly ? Is this because the more aware of the concept of time you are, the longer it takes to pass?

Think back to your senior year in high school. The end of that year signified the beginning of the rest of your adult life.It seemed like an eternity for it to end because you were totally preoccupied with that year ending. The same goes with a class you take at Floyd that you don't like. It seems to take forever as you constantly stare at the clock only to realize that only two minutes have passed.

Now think about when you attend a class you enjoy or participate in some activity you classify as fun. The time flies by because you are no longer focused on the time but instead are focusing on the activity.

Take this same concept and apply it to your life. As adults we don't focus on time as we did when we were children. Notice how Christmas seems to get here quicker every year.

We tend to get in a set routine or get in a rut. We do the same things over and over again. Only major events like marriage, divorce, births, deaths, college graduations, holidays, reunions, etc. make us step back and realize how much time has passed.

The number one complaint from the people at my reunion was that most people hated their jobs. Most did not have a profession but just accidentally fell into one job or another. Many went to college, but only a few graduated. And of the ones that finished college, most were still unhappy where they ended up. A few, like me, were still trying to decide what their chosen profession should be 10 years later.

When you are 30 plus years old, you can go back to school but it is much harder than taking advantage of the opportunities when you go for the first time.

My mother went back to college, while pregnant, to become a nurse. She did this while working a full-time job, and along with my father, took care of two young children. It is tough, but it can be done. Take the opportunity to succeed while you are young, have no children and few responsibilities. It will be much easier to do this now, and you will really thank yourself later.

But how do you do this? How do you beat my fate and that of many of my classmates?

First, dream big. What profession makes you want to study even when you don't have to? I used to say I couldn't find anything I was interested in. This was a cop-out. I was only making excuses. I was only interested in partying. Talk to people in your community who have jobs you're interested in. Work internships during the summer. Show initiative. It will be worth it.

The second factor is common sense. Work and study hard. I could never get this down. In high school, a friend asked me, "Jason, why do you do everything half ass? My reply was, "I don't have to work hard now because I will work hard later."

My friend who asked me this 10 years ago is now a Georgia Tech graduate and a software engineer. He worked hard in high school and in college, and he now works hard at his job. He is now seeing the fruits of his labor, not only in job satisfaction but also financial compensation.

In life you will end up working hard. The choice you have is that you can work hard at something you love or something you hate.

I've heard, and even sometimes used, the line "My life would have been different if more opportunities had come my way." In the REAL WORLD you make your own opportunities. You have to work hard to get these opportunities and work hard to succeed.

The final factor is the most important of all. You have to have a plan. Going to college doesn't count. Graduating from college is a great goal but too broad. You need a precise plan mapping where you are going. Write down your plan and refer back to it frequently. Don't make the mistake of being vague or trying to keep your goals in your head. There is too much other information in there, and it will get lost in your mind.

A friend of mine,Chuck, likes to take life as it comes. He doesn't plan but just lives day to day. He says he is young and that he has time. He is partly right. Life does not have to be planned out perfectly to the letter. You should enjoy your life, but when you have no direction, you will not end up where you want to go because you will not know how to get there.

Don't let a few years of super enjoyment equal 43 years of being miserable. Make your opportunities happen. Put in the effort.

I wish I could redo my college choices, but I can't get the time back. Be one of the lucky ones who has a career they really enjoy. Remember the clock is ticking, so use it to your advantage. So then, when you go to your 10 year reunion, you will be the one who talks about how you love your job so much that everyone will silently wish you would shut the hell up. Good luck!

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