The best way to learn to read a clock is to be able to tell what time it is without looking at the hands: look through it.
Never expect to know where you’ll be this afternoon, let alone next week or next month. Life is just better that way…
Why?
Because if you try to say, “This is what I will do” you’re doing two very bad things immediately:
#1) You’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Almost assuredly, nothing will turn out exactly like you expect it to… if you’re not flexible, you’ll get stressed out and disappointed. And…
#2) You’re immediately selling yourself short. If you really think the things you could ever plan for yourself would be better than what God/fate/karma/whatever-you-believe-in has in store for you, you are sadly mistaken.
In my world, in my 26 years, I have rarely – if ever – gotten things completely my way. And you should know, that’s completely okay. Where I am now, I could never have made up in a million years.
I’ve tried to shoehorn my way into situations, into relationships, into careers… when all I had to do was do what I really and truly loved to do and keep the faith and somehow – I’ll never know quite how – things just seem to work out okay (even after the bad stuff).
I mean, I spoke in front of 4000 people at my college shortly before I graduated. I’m just about the antithesis of the other seniors who spoke that week: 4.0 gpa? I’ll was lucky to graduate above a 3. Student leaders, heads of clubs, on the student council? No, I just took pictures.
I went through three schools, 8 official declared majors – pharmacy, biology, genetics, religious philosophy, bible, back to pharmacy, then undecided (that was in the first 4 years) … then journalism completed within 2 years – also managing to go overseas for a semester. So, if you’re keeping score, it looks like I graduated having taken 185 credit hours… undergraduate. (120 is “normal”.)
I’m not saying this stuff for a pat on the back – or a “Aww… poor thing!” I’m saying it as a start to your year and a start to my year: the only expectation you should have is to expect… anything! Be okay with the unexpected.
If you stare at your watch, you will only see the hands ticking away the seconds/minutes/hours of your life. Look beyond the watch.
Stay tuned… and Happy 2012…
-Noah D.
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PS: This photo is not manipulated, it is a reflection of my computer screen in my watch. It is an Instagram photo taken with the iPhone 4S. Follow me on Instagram: Haonavy.
