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| in·spi·ra·tion ˌinspəˈrāSH(ə)n/ noun 1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. |
Today my friend and I were exploring the many hidden nooks and corners of our workplace when we stumbled upon this very room and was greeted by this very message: I DREAM FOR A LIVING. We both took a step back and just gazed at the words on the wall in a silent awe.
"Wow, I haven't been this inspired in a long time. I think college sucked all the creativity out of me." Then she shrugged it off with a laugh, lightening the mood.
When I heard those words all I could think was this is probably one of the most saddest things I have ever heard in my entire life.
Growing up as a child, everything around you inspires, bringing out the creativity inside. From the first ray of sunshine that peaks up from the behind the alpine slopes, to the tall hundred-year old oak right outside the back window of your elementary school classroom, to watching itsy bitsy little miss ladybug make her way up a blade of green grass (one of your favorite recess pastimes), all the way to the beautiful painted canvas the sky becomes when the sun bids his last farewell and the moon greets you with his eerie aura. Inspiration is all around you.
So when did we lose this? From what point in our journey from childhood to higher education did creativity become a but a stranger? College is all about learning, and expanding our horizons in this world. But why does it seem like we often lose more of ourselves than gain.
This is a common struggle for many college students like myself. We enter college with a fresh mind and bright outlook of where this next leg of the journey called life will take us. We can already envision the amazing four years we'll have here, the exciting future we're working towards, and the numerous doors that will be opened along the way. But instead of entering this haven of opportunity, we soon hit roadblocks called:
- choosing a major
- roommates
- homesickness
- midterms
- doing bad on midterms
- GPA
- parental pressure
- growing up
- being on your own
- feeling alone
- depression
- knowing what you want to do and where you want to be for the rest of your life
And somehow, somewhere along the way we lose ourselves in the study grind, semester after semester of rigorous courses, bottomless cups of coffee, multiple nights with little to no sleep, all while trying to make sense of this world and our role in it.
But you know what? Let's just take life one step at a time. Take a step back and just gaze silently in awe at all the facets of your life. Family, parents, siblings, friends, significant others, school, work, your community, your hobbies, the things you like. Look at how all these parts of you somehow just... work. Not that I'm saying life is perfect, but somehow even with dysfunctional parts, bits, and pieces, the train of life still chugs along.
Channel into your inner child and explore those dream that you had as a little girl or little boy. What did you dream about growing up to be when you were six? A firefighter? A power ranger? After all, if you don't have big dreams to chase, is this even a life worth living? So go on, dream BIG, and chase after what inspires you! (Hey, a power ranger is a respectable career).
Sometimes its funny to see how our six year-old selves seemed to have life more together than we do now. Dream BIG, be inspired, and get creative!
P.S. Isn't it interesting how this is the most viewed TEDtalk to date? How schools kill creativity
