I often look for writing ideas in everyday life. Yet I didn't think that the inspiration for this article would come from a pyramid of toilet paper rolls and an art teacher with something important to say. The other day I was immediately struck with inspiration sitting in the gray studio of Art 190: Intro to Drawing. My teacher had set up various displays of still life for us to draw that day. Before we even had a chance to pick up our charcoal pencils she pointed towards the pyramid of toilet paper rolls she had created.

She said, "Blur your eyes and you will only see the shape of the display. Focus on the outline, not the details. Often as young artist's you will want to fill in every detail right away. Sometimes we need to realize we don't need every single detail. Not yet."

When my teacher said this I found myself thinking more about my future than the toilet paper roll pyramid.

I started thinking of my big life plan. You know what I am talking about, we all have one. Before coming to college I had this perfect life plan organized into a specific timeline. Four year University (out of state), major in English, then join the Peace Corps and go to Graduate school. I even knew that the prime time for me to get married and have kids had to be somewhere between 28 and 30 years old. I had it all figured it out, down to the names of the three chickens and one dog I planned on having one day.

All of that slowly began to unravel before me when I ended up at a University thirty minutes away from where I grew up and when I discovered maybe my passion wasn't English, but something a little different. Suddenly I find myself questioning my beautifully (yet maybe excessively) thought out plan.

Focus on the Outline

There is nothing wrong with having a life plan. If anything a plan is supposed to give us direction so we may never feel too lost, but a plan should never hold you back from the present. So instead of making a set in stone plan, set goals for yourself. Even just filling in the blank, In five years I want to be... can give you the guidance and structure you need to keep pushing you forward without getting caught up in plan too detailed to really help you.

Don't worry about all the details, not yet at least

No matter what people say, knowing exactly what you are going to do in every stage of life is not necessary to being successful. If you ask me, it actually brings you down, even harder if certain details do not get fulfilled. Like I said before, I never pictured myself at a big University fifteen miles away from my childhood home, but here I am. At first I couldn't let myself experience college because I could not shake the feeling that something was wrong. It took me an entire quarter to realize the only thing holding me back, was myself. I was too hung up on the fact a specific detail of my grand life plan did not go accordingly.

We have time to worry about all the details, but when it comes to the little things taking it one day at a time is the best thing you can do.

Now by no means am I advocating for a completely carefree lifestyle. You should have goals and plans and ideas for your future and ultimately what you want to do with your life. Those are the things that keep us going on the hard days and on the sad ones. Yet it is also incredibly easy to get caught up in the idea of a sparkly future that can never happen unless you open your eyes to what is currently happening in front of you.

Plans don't only change, you do too. You grow up and you learn and you get challenged. So do yourself right and don't hold yourself to a detailed future plan and forget to live in the present.

So I encourage you to focus on the outline, not the details. Follow the pathway set forth for you and enjoy the scenary as you go. And when the pathway suddenly changes, stops or leads you somewhere new, I hope you charge forward fearlessly.