The Power of Doing

A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHY DREAMS SHOULDN'T JUST BE LIVED IN THE FUTURE Written by Olivia Peters, Social Media Manager Photographed by Hannah Huber, Staff Photographer Modeled by Emily Herzog and Kamryn Truesdale

You’re a full-time student. You’re balancing clubs, grades, family, friends, workouts, relationships, eating, cleaning and breathing. You feel worn thin. “That’s just college,” everyone says. “It’s only four years. Push through.” So you do, and you lose track of yourself. You forget what you like to do for fun, and you have no hobbies.

Suddenly, you’re graduating and you need a job. “Sell yourself,” they tell you. “Talk yourself up to those companies. It’s all about getting a spot.” So, you tell the people in suits sitting across from you exactly what they want to hear—even if it’s not fully honest, even if you don’t want the job.

You’ve always dreamt of sailing, it’s on your bucket list to skydive and you think it’d be fun to run a marathon. “There’s time in the future,” you tell yourself. “There will always be time to do the things I want later.” So you forget your aspirations, downgrading goals to simple daydreams.

Oftentimes, we find ourselves stuck in a pattern of inaction. It’s as if we’re wired to do what others expect rather than what we desire. Why do we prioritize success over happiness? Sometimes, we do what’s expected of us so religiously that we become confused over what we truly want. It’s as though we’re waiting to live.

As college students, what are we waiting for? Graduation? There is no starting gun that tells you when to “Go!” As we leave college, a thousand more barriers will pop up, things that feel like they need immediate attention. We’ll always be thinking, “There’s time in the future to do what makes me happy,” until suddenly, there’s not. Goals shouldn’t be things we think of only in the future tense. How do we escape from going through the motions?

It’s hard to start things—sometimes, it’s physically painful to start moving. But there is an infectiously gratifying feeling that comes from simple actions. That’s the power of forgetting the bullshit and simply doing.

Imagine how things could be if we stopped segmenting between professional aspirations and personal dreams. Nobody said we’re not allowed to have both, so let go of that assumption and stop pushing your happiness away.

You’re a full-time student. You’re balancing everything you need to. You have homework to do, club meetings to attend and a job. Yet, on Wednesday nights, you turn off your notifications and go to the lake to read. You haven’t read a book outside of class since you were in high school. Your books make you laugh and cry. You remember what it feels like to not be able to put a book down. It’s peaceful. You’re rediscovering childhood joys.

Don’t let yourself lose sight of why you’re working so hard.

You’re graduating and you need a job. You interview with a company and know they aren’t a good fit for you. You respectfully decline and start going to your favorite coffee shop every other day to work on your portfolio. You apply to other places. You’re honest with recruiters about what you’re looking for, and what environment you think you’d be successful in. You’re on the hunt.

If an opportunity doesn’t excite you, refocus your gaze on something that does.

You’ve always dreamt of sailing, it’s on your bucket list to skydive and you think it’d be fun to run a marathon. So you buy a boating sweater, incentivizing you to join the local sailing club. You look up the cheapest places to skydive in Wisconsin and text every single one of your friends, looking for takers. You put on tennis shoes after class a couple of times a week, turn on a podcast and start to run. You’re in motion, and you don’t want to stop.