To the freshman… and everyone else too
Some thoughts inspired by @sacca who recently gave a speech to a college freshman class. He asked me (along with his twitter following which yielded an incredibly entertaining range of responses), “what would you say to a group of freshman about how to make the most of their next four years?” Though it wasn’t so long ago that I was that freshman, sitting restless in a chair listening to a motivational speech about college, I found myself reflecting back on the past 8 years feeling like I had some wisdom to dish. As I wrote, I discovered my own words to be just as relevant for my life now as they could be for all those eager freshmen. Thanks to countless teachers in my life, both traditional teachers in school, and everyone else I’ve encountered thus far on my journey, here’s what came to mind:
BE CURIOUS. Be curious about life, about yourself, about others, and the world. By being curious, we open ourselves up to the incredible mystery and wonder of life. A sense of curiosity makes life seem magical. As we get older and gain knowledge, we seem to think that we “know” the ways of the world, which shuts out the opportunity for the real mystery of life to exist. That mystery is what you see in a child’s eyes. They look at the world as though it’s the most incredible thing – and it is – we just tend to forget that as we grow up (have you seen that awesome youtube of “everything is amazing and nobody is happy” ?). A curious outlook towards life brings this mystery, wonder, magic, and intrigue back into the light. It expands our perception and opens the doors of opportunity. If you can be curious with an open mind and an open heart, and look to every experience as simply something to broaden your perspective, then nothing bad ever happens. Everything, everything becomes a blessing, even if it’s disguised.
Part of being curious is asking questions. My favorite question in the world is WHY? Why do we do what we do, think what we think, say what we say? There are a thousand layers of answers to the question WHY? and the deeper you go, the more fascinating life becomes, along with a grater sense of self. It is a Buddhist belief that seeking the root or cause is the only way to understanding; that nothing exists without a cause. So I would encourage going there – to go deep, dive in, seek the root which will inevitably present to you the infinite fruits of life.
EMBODY LIFE. which is to say, don’t just live life in your head. When we think about going to college, it would appear on the surface that we are there to gain knowledge, or become smarter; processes that largely happen in the mind. But the mind is just ONE PART of our being. Recognize and awaken to the fact that our bodies, our senses, our spirit, all experience every moment of life just as profoundly as our minds. They are all intertwined in ways we cannot even comprehend. To embody life, or to experience life with the entirety of your being, makes life very rich and fulfilling.
And most importantly…
Laugh. Giggle. Keep it light. Keep it simple. Stay open. Find something to be grateful for every day, or even better, every second. And be sure to have a few moments where you strip down, let go of all inhibitions, surrender to the beauty of the present moment, and run around drunk (this could be drunk on life, it doesn’t necessarily need to be substance induced) laughing, singing, and dancing with all your newfound playmates to the incredible pulse of life. (The later, of course, was what college taught me to do best 
).
