I had a conversation with a few friends recently that strengthened my resolve. One of them was talking about how he’d be satisfied to settle down in his thirties and work a well-paying job.
To each his own.
I’m not ready to think like that though. Maybe in the future. But the future right now is bright.
I’m a dreamer. And I’m intent to make those dreams happen.
I recently applied to and was turned down by a few top business schools.
I took a risk by only going for the cream of the crop, but it’s a risk that I felt comfortable taking.
In fact, every time I tell someone else the news, its doesn’t feel bad, but good. While I didn’t get the elation of acceptance, it was a relief to fail.
It reminds me to stay humble. It reminds me to stay hungry.
I went big, and I might be going home.
A lot of people talk about how nice everyone is in the Midwest and in my time here, I’ve definitely experienced and noticed it quite a bit.
But I heard a great example the other day that pretty much exemplified it.
Cautious after getting a ticket for running a red light, someone I know slammed on the brakes at a yellow light and was rear-ended by the driver behind her. My friend’s car didn’t sustain much damage, but the other person’s car didn’t fare so well.
So after they sorted out insurance and such, my friend sent the driver that rear-ended her a gift card a few days later because she felt bad.
From my perspective, this sounded absurd and I would probably never do the same thing.
But it was no big deal here.
Midwest nice, ladies and gentlemen.
As a society, we are always trying to attach meaning to things and events.
Birthday presents, anniversaries, firsts, lasts. I think it gives us some grounding as we navigate life, hoping to make sense of random.
But many things just happen with no actual significance at all.
I think at times we try so hard to explain the unexplained that we forget to just live.
I’ve been listening to an NPR podcast called Invisibilia, which explores the invisible things that shape human behavior (things like ideas, beliefs, assumptions, and emotions). Check it out if you’re interested.
One of the recent episodes I’ve listened to focused on thoughts. A particular section about thoughts of self-doubt caught me.
As with many people, I have self-doubt every once in a while. Even though I pride myself on staying positive and making the best of situations, it happens.
During the segment, they interviewed several therapists and psychologists with different views. I liked the one that said these instances of self-doubt are meaningless. Many times our thoughts don’t have meaning. They simply come and go.
I tend to agree. I have fleeting thoughts all the time. Some are important, many are not. My mind wanders.
Some come back or stay with me, but others just float away, never to be thought again.