I’ve been a student of Wehner High since my induction into Texas A&M University a year and a half ago. For those of you who are not Aggie students, “Wehner High” is the name students of Mays Business School have coined for the building that hosts all of the business classes. This building is far yonder on the outskirts of campus or as the other students might call it, west campus.

Because it’s literally in the middle of nowhere and a good 10 minute bike/25 min walk from the MSC, we feel a little secluded in the good ole Wehner building. And basically, when you go to class there, you just kind of stay there until your next class (because they’re all in the same building anyway).

For this reason, the business kids have decided to call our beautiful beacon of hope on west campus, Wehner High. It’s also said that you should be wary of getting sucked in to the “Wehner Vortex.” That is, the force that will keep you running around Wehner all day … attending classes, seeing your friends, going to business meetings, chatting with professors etc. This force tends to make you forget there is even an outside world—or an “East Campus” (as we like to call main campus). So you kind of get the picture. We live in our own little world over in Wehner High--a world with our competitive friends, our career aspirations and our demanding organizations.

OKAY, all jokes aside, being a business student forces you to channel your inner competitive nature. You subconsciously begin competing with your friends academically and socially. Personally, often times I feel as if I need to be the best, do the best and talk the best in order to keep up with everyone else in the business school. I think that if I’m not prepping for my next interview, searching for an internship or being the best I can be in my organizations, then I am simply not going to succeed.

However, that entire mentality changed when I decided to add an art minor to my business major. Besides the art building physically being on the complete opposite side of campus, the majors couldn’t be more different from each other as well.

As I was sitting in my 8 a.m. design class last week, I became frustrated with the 2.5 hour block this class has taken from my Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Like, we literally sit in there and doodle some eggs and cut some paper and glue it together again. I was annoyed that when I would be the first one done with my project for the day an hour early, everyone else was still on step 1 of theirs. I was under the impression that it was best to just “get it done” and move on to the next thing – after all that’s what the business world has taught me.

I was proven wrong.

As I forced myself to sit on that stool in art class for that last hour I had to kill, I re-looked at my sketches and pondered what I was actually doing. I wanted to rush this process. I wanted to be done quickly so that I could get on to the next task on my list then rush to class then on to the next event so that I could squeeze in enough time in my day to shower before the meeting I had that night.

This is the mentality that being a business kid has instilled in me. It is the idea that in order to succeed in life you must be one step ahead of your competition.

But is that really the way we want to live? A life of constant busyness and never ending “things to do?”

As I have progressed in my art class, I have begun to understand the significance of sitting still. I heard a quote this semester that has really resonated with me. It is by Ariana Huffington – founder of The Huffington Post and arguably one of the busiest women. In an interview by Business Insider, Huffington is quoted saying,

"As long as success is defined by who works the longest hours, who goes the longest without a vacation, who sleeps the least, who responds to an email at midnight or five in the morning — in essence, who is suffering from the biggest time famine — we're never going to be able to enjoy the benefits of time affluence."

Huffington is exactly right. The business world tells us we should be getting ahead and moving faster than every other person. That is a lie.

I believe our world needs more stillness; more quiet and less noise.

Sitting still is a hard discipline to learn. However, art class has literally forced me to combat that. I have learned there is enough time. I will not “run out.” And since The Lord has planned my every day I have no need to worry about “what to do next.” So, I continue sitting in my 2.5 hour design class--cutting paper, drawing eggs and remembering the importance of contemplation, stillness and meditation.