I’m not going to lie—imagining my life ten years into the future is a pretty difficult task. After all, I wasn’t even in my double-digits ten years ago! A lot can happen in this amount of time: I could be married, I could have kids, who knows? Maybe I’ll be brunette instead of blonde. Actually, now that I wrote that out, I don’t think that last one’s going to happen. Still, I can imagine what I want my future to look like based on what I enjoy in life now.
My plan is to be involved in International Law by 2029. I find human development fascinating, and I want to play my own role in it someday. Although, I’m still figuring out what that role’s going to look like. Right now, I’m testing out areas of focus in the Keough School to discern whether I want to have a supplementary major with a concentration in human rights or global policy. I need to figure out what my personal definition of my future career is, and my goal for the next ten years is to use this as a way to help people around the world.
Here are some things that I’ve learned about myself in college, so far:
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I am a lot more social than I thought I was in high school. I love waving to people I barely know in the dining hall.
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I will spend way too much time going down a rabbit hole on Google learning about some of the professors and alumni I get to meet on campus because I am in awe of them.
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I am TERRIBLE at motivating myself to wash my dishes, but this one’s besides the point.
In ten years, I want to have met people from all over the world because of my job. I can be a pretty talkative person—it used to annoy my mom a lot. However, “…the researchers found that ‘those with close social ties and unhealthful lifestyles (such as smoking, obesity and lack of exercise) actually lived longer than those with poor social ties but more healthful living habits,’ Mr. Robbins wrote” (“Social Interaction is Critical for Mental and Physical Health” by Jane E. Brody). There are so many wonderful human beings on this earth with accomplishments of their own and with the potential to do even more, and I want to have ties with them. Being involved in different parts of the world and in multiple social circles will provide me with a fuller life, and I’m starting to do this here at Notre Dame. I found out that one of my classmates is from Arkansas today. I never thought I would ever meet anyone from Arkansas.
As a Notre Dame student, the importance of networking has already been instilled in me. In ten years, I want to help others find their place in the real world just as alumni will (hopefully) help me. Today, I’m establishing my personal “brand” as a Notre Dame student, and I’m learning how to have a productive conversation with someone in this type of university. Once I have (again, hopefully) mastered this skill down the road, I will be more than thrilled to give back to the university that helped me achieve my dreams.
While all of these ideas are important to me, it’s also vital for me to remember that plans change. We can’t be stressed about every choice we have to make. The Mindful Staff writes, “Solutions that ask us to change who we are or become something we’re not have failed us over and over again. Mindfulness recognizes and cultivates the best of who we are as human beings” (“What is Mindfulness”). Everything will work out in the end, even if I’m a walking ball of stress leading up to it. In ten years, I hope that I will continue to be mindful knowing that I am where I am meant to be in life. Being worried about the future will only worsen my ability to cope with the challenges presented before me. I have faith in my abilities; so wherever I end up in ten years, I know that I will be happy there.
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