While coming into college, our perception of time is incredibly slow. For our entire lives, time has seemed to move slowly, because we have always been waiting for and looking forward to the future. In elementary school, we were looking forward to middle school. In middle school, we were waiting to get into high school, and in high school, we spent four years counting down the long days until graduation. Always having the future to look forward to has made our perception of time slow. The grass was always greener on the other side, but once we were there, we found something better to dream of. Once you're in college, however, everything is different.
When we finally get to college, we realize how green this grass is. No one wants to leave college. No one looks forward to living in their own house, getting a grown-up job, having to pay your own bills, and doing other grown-up things. We know now that life doesn’t get much better than it is in college, but usually we get so caught up in everything there is to do here that we forget to take in just how great these four years are. Its so easy to go through an entire day without sitting back and appreciating the small things.
Looking back on the past two years of college, I don’t know what happened. My freshman and sophomore years passed in a blink of my eye and it wasn’t until my junior year that I realized just how fast time actually passes and how valuable it actually is. When you get to college, you have responsibilities. You learn how to plan your day. Your schedule no longer lasts from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. like it did in high school. You realize in college that life is a 24 hour job. If you're not in class, you're in a meeting, at dinner with friends, doing homework, writing a paper, going out, or trying to get some sleep. You rarely have down time, but when you do, something more than likely comes up. You do laundry, run errands, cook dinner, do the dishes, or work out. There are so many things that you have to do on a daily basis that, before you know it, your day is over and it's time to sleep. In high school, you never had anything to do, and clocks seemed to move slowly. In college, your days become extremely busy, and they seem short. Eventually, you realize that time is quickly passing you by.
If you don’t yet realize how short life is, read this next paragraph. Read it twice, maybe. And whatever you do, don’t forget it.
Life is passing before your eyes, and you're letting it. This world is huge. There's so much to see, so many people to meet, and so much to do. Stop overlooking how valuable your time is and start taking advantage of it. Start making moments count. Let little things impact you in big ways. Start creating relationships that matter. Open your eyes to the small things in this world, and see as much as you can. Stop waiting for something big to happen to you and start making big things happen. Your schedule might make you insanely busy, but never forget to take time for yourself. Your classes might be boring, but never forget all the things you learn. You might be around the same people every day, but never hesitate to get to know them better. Stop looking for inspiration and let your surroundings inspire you. Be curious about this world you're living in. Ask questions that you want to know the answers to. See things that you have never seen before. Do things that will create memories and never forget to reminisce on the memories you make. Never overlook something beautiful, no matter how small. And ALWAYS count your blessings. Four years of college is 1461 days, 2103840 minutes, and 126230400 seconds. Those numbers look big, but if you allow them to, they will seem so small. Enjoy your time, and whatever you do, don’t let it pass you by.
