Monday #6 - Foresight

Hello All,

Welcome back to one Monday at a time! I am wrapping up the semester this week, and it's been a bit of chaotic with all the final presentations, exams, and papers I've had to write. I'm taking mostly 400 level courses this semester, and the workload has been nothing short of exhausting. I'm hoping to finish out the semester strong, though, and I can't wait to graduate next Saturday! Since I'm at a closing chapter of this stage in my life, I want to talk about planning for the future, and mention some of the actions that I've taken to sort out my next steps for life. I have so much to plan in the next couple months, like where I'm going to live, where I'm going to work, and where I want to go to grad school. Having foresight is such an important part of staying on track and developing plans for the future, as well as ensuring that you don't fall behind. It's a skill that's hard to develop, as it can get clouded by anxiety and lose its effectiveness the more emphasis you put on it.

Personally, I am not a very go-with-the-flow kind of person. I have my entire life scheduled out on my Google Calendar, and if I don't put something on the calendar, it might as well not exist. I've always been the planner in my friend groups, and usually when I make plans, I know exactly what we're doing at the exact time, with the exact set of people. I know I kind of sound like a micromanager, but this is exactly what I need in order to function on a basic organized level. While I'm able to retain a lot of information, recalling that information when I'm not necessarily focused on that task takes a lot of effort. For example, I find it a lot easier to remember names by where I met someone, or a fact about them, rather than just their face. In the same way, when applying for grad schools, I've been a bit overwhelmed by the seemingly-infinite amount of options. My dad encouraged me to take some time and write down all of the possibilities on a Google Doc, adding different pathways and bullet points for each option. Then, cross off the ones that don't make sense or are less than ideal. By getting everything down on paper, I developed a better sense of foresight for my future opportunities, and I felt more at peace when thinking about planning for the future. 

Staying in the present and maintaining a steady state of gratitude and mindfulness is often difficult when planning for the future. I often find myself getting dissatisfied with my current state of being, and by brainstorming ways to change, I lose touch with the benefits that less drastic changes could offer. I think it's important for me, especially now, to not associate change with problem-solving. I've fallen into a pattern of thought where I assume that if I move to a city, or get the perfect job, or complete my MBA, that I will automatically be happier. Part of this is true, as I could make more connections, find people who have similar interests, and achieve satisfaction through the completion of work and school-related accomplishments. Balancing all of this has been tricky, but by remembering that I am in control of my happiness, I have tried to detach my emotions from the physical place I live or job that I have. Life is about building connection, and so my plans for the future should seek to reflect that as a priority. I don't really know for sure where I'm going in life, and I might not know for a couple more weeks, but it never hurts to start thinking about it early. Maybe I'll know tomorrow, or a couple days after that, or maybe never, but hopefully I'll be closer to knowing soon... until the next one!

one Monday at a time,

Ethan