The High Road or the Load Road?

What do you do when a difficult situation presents itself? Do you push on through it or do you walk away defeated? People say that they love a challenge, but then they find themselves cutting corners and taking the easy way. I would be a liar if I said that I never took the easy road when others where embarking on the road less traveled. We all have, but that's not a true test of our character.

This year I've found myself with a larger workload, the classes growing more complicated and more difficult. When I was picking my classes last year I found myself being more adventurous. A challenge? Let's do it. I obviously chose those which fulfilled my major's requirement, but there is a little wiggle room with electives. Instead of taking the class that I know I could pass with minimal effort, I chose to take a more difficult class that fulfills the same requirement. That was last year when I was dreaming big. You can dream big and you can live the dream. Now I'm in the thick of it.

I've never had a class that challenges me so much intellectually than I have found myself in this year. I've always had a slight affinity for math, I could learn the stuff and with minimal studying pull off a good grade, but I've never really liked it. I used to think that mathematics was just a waste of time, that the basics can get me through. I found myself in a few required math courses where I knew everything already, didn't need to study and could pass everything with flying colors. Back in algebra 2 in high school when we were introduced to some basic calculus principles like logs and sins, that I was frightened. It may have grown my resistance to mathematics because when I came to college I thought that it was behind me. Now I realize that it doesn't go away.

The class I am now referring to is called Industrial Organization. It's an intermediate economics class, which combines all the basic tools learned in microeconomics and macroeconomics and analyzes industries. The first class was an introduction to the basic calculus that was going to be needed, religiously. My fears were all rushing back and I had to fight that urge, that devil on my shoulder that was whispering in my ear to just give up. The thoughts crossed my mind to drop the class, but for once I knew that it was time for a challenge. A challenge it is, concepts are actually the easiest parts stating the profit function, how to find consumer surplus, all that. Then throw calculus into the equation and my attempt at understanding whats been thrown at me. Stuff didn't make sense, numbers that were correct which didn't match mine, and complex lengthy equations which looked as if it were another language. Frustration sets in and I knew I just had to take a step back and breathe.

It's easy to grow complacent, to believe that you know it all and not want to ask questions because you think you can figure it out on your own. That was how I was in the beginning, but I soon figured out that if something doesn't make sense, ask all the questions that you need so that you know what is going on. If you don't you're going to be more lost. Keep practicing and every day just take a little at a time, for I found myself sometimes in my free time just going over the steps, saying how once you plug in this formula, then after you derive it you plug that solution into this formula. I realized that it's not just something I have to do, but I'm actually learning something and can apply it to more than just an equation.

A challenge is something that you want to do, but you find difficulty, apprehension from emotion, and complexity in understanding. Yet, once you're being challenged it's almost as if that success is a drug that you're addicted to. You did okay, but you know you can do better. You gain a thirst of wanting to do better. You find a drive coming from inside that pushes you a little bit further everyday. All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy, but all play and no work makes Johnny a loser. Why settle for a slice of pie when you can have the whole thing? So why take the easy way while the road less traveled can teach you a valuable lesson about yourself. A challenge is intimidating, but fear, apprehension, and doubt are all just human emotions. You can't cloud your mind with that thinking of what if I can't do it, what if I fail, and that's too much for me. You need to cast that aside and take a leap of faith. Like Wayne Gretzky once said "You miss 100% of the shots that you don't take."

The Beginning of the End

Junior year of College just has a ring to it. It's the year that you will never forget because it matters the most. In high school, junior year was the pinnacle of my success. It was where I came into my own as a human being. It was the year that the world finally began to make sense with me. It's easy to lose sight when your in the long run. Change comes and you must adapt, yet you find yourself four years into the future, hopefully with no regret.

The two years that matter the most are Freshman and Junior year, not saying that the others don't hold importance. However, these two mark the beginning and the beginning of the end. It's a relief and sadness to say that the halfway mark has been met and the clock is ticking down. Freshman and Sophomore year are adjustments to college life such as learning the ropes, attaining the status of familiarity, and getting the prerequisites done. Last year was my year to get the perquisites out of the way, now I can focus on the getting the end in sight.

The work has gotten harder, but the challenge is the best part. They may overwhelm you and it may feel like you're getting kicked when your down. You may call into question your motivation, but that pain is only temporary. We've all had those times where everything just seems like it crumbling, where you don't think you can make it or keep up. I had that last week, with paper due, quiz, test, quiz, exam, homework, test, quiz, read this many pages, and memorize that. You lose sleep and you crave not having to bury your nose within a book. Reality check dawns, this is what I signed up for and this is actually gonna make a difference. Then I kept on going because it all just made sense.

If you take one lesson away from this, its the following. When it all just seems too much, keep your peace of mind. I don't think about what I can't do. I think about what I want to do and how to do it. Try looking at the world in a new angle, you can surpass all the indecision and emotion. Maybe it might even surprise and delight you.