Something I have thought about a lot ever since I went to uni is the lack of dumb stuff I did in my school life, and how much I have learnt from doing said dumb things. And how many of the things I initially felt were dumb turned out to be extremely cool.
So here is a PSA to do cool stuff, no matter how dumb.
"Kyu dare zindagi me kya hoga, Kuch nahi hoga to tajurba hoga"
“Who knows what life will bring, If nothing else, it will bring experience.”
- Vijender Chahan
Follow your dreams is an extremely bad advice.
Because your dreams are a rough approximation of what you want your life to look like, but if it is a singular point focus, it just doesn’t work. A lot of exciting opportunities will pass right infront of you, and you will just watch them pass by because they are not your dream.
Hank Green recommends following your tools: your talents, your values, your curiosities, your personality etc. If your life is like a spaceship your mind is piloting, having focused singular goals and dreams is an easy way to shut-off your internal GPS and just keep moving towards something that might not exist or pass through an asteroid belt your ship is not designed to handle while missing all the scenic stuff on the way there.
Also, the more planets you visit on the way, the more extra tech you can equip your ship with. From one of my old posts,
…
Homi Bhaba’s family wanted him to persue mechanical engineering and work as a metallurgist in Tata. However, his interest lied towards nuclear physics.
Instead of choosing one of the above, he decided to do both. He passed his mechanical engineering tripos with first class honors and then continued perusing his doctorate in nuclear physics. As it turns out, Bhaba did join Tata. The only thing was he didn’t join as a metallurgist, instead as the chairperson of Tata Institution of Fundamental Research.
While Homi Bhabha’s interest didn’t lie in mechanical, studying it came to use later when he was made the project director of India’s first nuclear project. Metallurgy was something he despised, but when it came to finding and refining uranium ore; guess what metallurgy came to use.
Homi Bhaba’s close friend, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, helped in sales work in his fathers business. The communication skills helped him in a lot of places, including convincing the pastor of the church of Thumba to let them use that church for rocket launch.
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Logistics Matter
Aaron Dinin (Prof of Econ at Duke) had observed that the most successful people from his class are not the smartest, but the ones with the best time management.
And like everything else, Time management is a learnt skill. You don’t wake up one morning and know how to manage time. You take on enough work that you need to manage time and then learn how to juggle by messing up a few times. And trust me, don’t even dare think “let me focus on X now, I can learn this later.” because later won’t come. You will keep running from pillar to post, you will keep getting tasks of extreme importance and you will never learn get around to beginning to learn managing your time.
Take responsibility.
People get done with their degrees, people get better jobs, get married or for some reason leave a place. Please, for the love of God, take some responsibility and don't let cool initiatives die. (Specifically to the freshmen at my uni) make the Onam Pooklam (a temporary floor decoration made using flower petals), help out with the Ganesh Chaturthi, do some work for the college fest.
It is scary to be the one in charge, but it is also extremely cool and again, a skill worth learning. So when a cool person leaves, you have to take up their mantle (and their responsibilities and initiatives) and become the new resident cool person!
Better Burntout then Unsatisfied
This is perhaps one of the most unheatlhy things I belive in goes as follows:
I am near certain that doing too many things will lead to me getting burnt out and then sleeping for 15 hours on a single day and being unmotivated to do things for 2 days to follow, but here is the thing. But here is the thing, I don't mind the 3 days of shitiness given I can do the 12 things I wanted to. I am happy being sad and lazed out for some time than to not having done the cool things I cared about.
Take Risks
"Life meets you at the level of your audacity. Life gets better when you stop waiting for the stars to align and dance under the ones just shining" - Case Kenny
A Tumblr post says this better than I could:
Apply for jobs you're not qualified for! Audit upper-level classes! Get drunk with your TAs1! See that poster advertising that lecture series? Go there take notes and ask questions! thank the presenter for talking about this topic you love! If the class is full before you register, email the professor and ask if they can squeeze you in! RAISE YOUR HAND! Tell the disability accomodation office to do their goddamn job! Ask for help! File complaints! Go to class in your pajamas and destroy the reading! You got this! you KNOW you got this! Be arrogant enough to learn EVERYTHING! Take your meds! Punch a velociraptor in the ____! Fear is useless and temporary! Glory is forever! Shed your skin and erupt angel wings! Help out! spread your sun!
I had a really good morning! You deserve a really good morning! Kill anyone who says you don't and build a throne from their bones!
Be Nice
"Kaam 19-20 chalta hai, Insaan 20 hona chahiye" - Zakir Khan
For the people who don't get hindi, slight imperfections can be afforded in work, but we must try to be the best, most perfect person. (I have not provided a translation as the quote uses an idiom (and twists it) which has no english equivalent)
From a purely selfish pov, People may be forced to work with you, but they don't like it and they will jump ship the moment they get a chance. From a less selfish pov, what does being rude add to the world? be nice, make friends.
To quote Barney, "Whatever you do in this life, it's not legendary, unless your friends are there to see it"2
This is not motivating any of the CMI kids to try to get me drunk. I don’t drink (maybe a topic for another post), but if you drink, maybe do this with your other TAs.
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Not all those who wander are lost!