Katherine Harber, Campus Carrier copy editor
Over the past few years, one of the most beneficial realizations I have come to about my life is how fulfilling it can be to do things for the simple joy of doing them. While this idea may not seem revolutionary to some readers, for a recovering overachiever like myself, it was a revelation. As I got older, I began to see that not every single moment of my life had to be directed towards some future purpose. I was allowed to simply exist and enjoy myself.
That is not to say that we should simply ignore our obligations and only do things that we enjoy. Rather, we should try to look for moments in our everyday lives that can bring a bit of happiness to ourselves and others, instead of always forcing ourselves to be laser-focused on our work and our goals for the future. It is important to have goals and dreams, but we should not sacrifice our present selves to a future we have not yet seen. You deserve to enjoy your current life just as much as you hope to enjoy your future one.
Some of my favorite moments from my time at Berry have come out of some split-second decisions, often with my friends, to do something just because it might be fun. We go on random trips to Cookout or Starbucks, or we buy last-minute nosebleed seats at concerts. I used to think that I needed to have every moment of my day planned out for maximum productivity, and that I needed to be working towards some higher purpose as much as I could. The longer I was at Berry, the more I began to recognize the value of doing things just because they bring me joy. If I see something that looks interesting to me, I am now more likely to say, “Sure, I’ll do that”, because that attitude has brought me closer to my friends and has given me numerous fulfilling experiences in a rather short time span.
We are all in college with the goal of creating a better future for ourselves, but we should also take time to appreciate where we are now. There is value in every season or phase of life, including your current one. Take joy wherever you find it, no matter how small or simple.