I want it all. I fear missing out on opportunities I don’t take so I want to experience everything. Travel the world, eat every food, try speaking every language, and experience life to the maximum. Now to some, this might seem impossible but I believe life is a journey so why not make it a journey testing the impossibilities of existence? The problem of my aspirations is that one can never do everything. In economics, you learn about opportunity cost but this law applies to every facet of life. There will always be an opportunity cost to an action and now that I’m in college, I can view that in different ways. Opportunity cost can come in many manners like not eating all your meals, not sleeping sufficiently, and above all stretching yourself too thin which has multiple repercussions. In my case, I’m losing joy in what I do. I’m losing the happiness that makes all my work meaningful because 24 hours in a day isn’t enough time to juggle everything I’m involved in. Another opportunity cost is doing everything but mediocrely because you physically can’t put your all into everything you do. How I’m trying to cope with opportunity cost is analyzing it to better develop a strategic plan that caters to my personal and professional development. I want to prioritize the endeavors I enjoy and be able to give my all into things that truly matter to me, things that bring me glee. Making the choice of cutting down on opportunities is not an easy feat but through hardships, I’ve been able to see that it’s my only option. Nonetheless, this process is step by step. My first step is acknowledgement. My next step is yet to be seen.
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Hi Fabiana,
This post was so refreshing to read as I too feel as if I am always spreading myself too thin in the hope of doing it all. For myself, I have found that focusing less on the outcome and rather the task has taught me many more lessons than just looking to the future. Sometimes it is more important to live in the moment and enjoy what you are doing at the moment because you can fully experience everything, rather than splitting your consciousness to right now and a year from now. Just take everything a day at a time and focus on what is the best use of your time to make you both happy and productive. I wish you luck on your journey!
Fabiana,
I feel that many PLA’rs can relate to your post or related to your situation at some point. It’s difficult to have so many amazing opportunities around us when we can’t accept every offer or become involved in each project. Acknowledging that you’re stretching yourself too thin is such an important first step; for me, this recognition allowed me to change my mindset from seeking opportunities to selecting them. This change was super important for delegating my own time and recognizing that I could not and would not put forth my full effort into certain endeavors that I wasn’t totally invested in. From there, it’s most important to identify what you value most and feel most fulfilled doing, and then that makes delegating your time so much easier!
I agree with you, I want it all too. Your post is a common feelings that many have, probably most PLAers at some point. There’s no easy way to say no to an activity you know you’d love to be involved in or make the tough decision to let something go to prioritize yourself. I felt these sentiments extremely strongly and wish I did more in my college career (or life, in general). I’ve come to terms that the opportunity cost of doing it all is not worth trying to fit in more than 24 hours of work within a days span. Instead, I’ve found content by learning about it. I may not be able to do the activity myself however I know someone who does the activity and a simple question can be a lot more revealing than you know. Showing support can be another way to help out even if you are not involved in the organization. Yes I know, it’s not the same but its a middle group and in my opinion, the next best alternative.