“I’ve never done a single thing I’ve wanted to in my whole life.”
— Sinclair Lewis, Babbitt
There are millions of miserable, middle-aged people in the world, and I’m assuming you don’t want to end up like them. That’s what this book is about: developing habits and a plan to become…. well…. not miserable.
Pretty lofty, eh?!
For many, college is the first real and significant step toward finding one’s place in the universe, to ‘following one’s bliss,’ as Joseph Campbell put it (Look him up!). So, if you prefer bliss to misery, you’ll need to embrace the college experience in all its glory. You’ll need to have a sense of yourself, your goals, your strengths and weaknesses. You’ll need to have an active approach to tackling schoolwork, meeting new friends, and expanding your horizons. You’ll need to start dreaming your own dreams, rather than those of your parents. You’ll need to develop keen internal radar that helps you distinguish between opportunities and distractions. You’ll need balance. You’ll need to learn to trust yourself, to forgive yourself, to get back on your horse and take some more risk. You’ll need to reflect seriously and often on the question: “Who am I, where am I going, why and how?” And, you’ll need to learn and commit to memory a mantra that I’ve developed to help guide you every step of the way:
“Know thyself. Have a plan. Assume no one else cares.”
Mostly, though, you’ll need to
Carpe College!
(Oh yeah, and parents will want you to find a job, so we’ll cover that, too.)