Time and Excitement: What do they have in common?

I've been keeping up with quite a few social media sites lately; three Facebook pages, two Twitter accounts, two Instagram accounts, and two blogs.  Well, that's probably a bit false since I haven't REALLY been keeping up with all of them.  When you only have 24 hours in the day and hopefully eight of those hours are spent sleeping, 9-10 of those hours are spent commuting or at work, and then there's a household you have to run and people to feed, well, you tend to run out of time.  Needless to say, some of my sites have been neglected.  For several months.

As a student, I'm sure you're feeling the same pressure.  School, work, family obligations, play time, a lot of things on your plate and you wonder where you can fit in just one more thing?  Then I bombard you with thoughts about major and career exploration.  Really, woman?  How do I fit this into an already cramped schedule?  Believe me, I make excuses every single day about why I can't post something on a social media site or why I haven't written anything in the last few months.  I'm right there with you.  I feel that crunch for time.  But I had a great experience that I want to share with you.

This past weekend, Friday night to be exact, my daughters and I were driving home after a successful shopping trip to purchase Real Salt Lake Soccer gear (we didn't want to miss our SLCC Soccer team being recognized during half time at the Saturday RSL game) and we were just giddy.  Maybe it was the shopping.  Maybe it was the milk shakes and french fries we just consumed.  Whatever the case, we were in a creative mood and we began discussing writing a fan fiction story based on the Twilight series.  This all began with a debate about who was the best Batman and Joker.  I claimed it was the old school Michael Keaton/Jack Nicholson combo.  My girls said Heath Ledger as the Joker but they weren't impressed with Christian Bale as Batman.  Of course they have not seen the older version so that will be viewed this coming weekend and the debates will continue then.  But the creative juices were flowing.  The conversation then switched to Twilight (please don't ask how we went from Batman to vampires) but it did.  And we started bouncing ideas off of each other.  My oldest daughter had the initial thought about the fan fiction and we all jumped in with our ideas in a very spirited conversation.  Man, that was one of the greatest creative discussions I've ever had in my life!  And guess what?  Last night (Sunday) I wrote almost 3,000 words (5 pages) of a fan fiction story based on our Friday night discussion.  And the story has been saved on a flash drive so if my daughters want to add to or change things, they are free to do so.

What does this have to do with major and career exploration?  Excitement.  That's it.  The anticipation of figuring out your life goals and putting those plans into action.  Being excited after taking the free MBTI and receiving the interpretation and your results, then going off into the sunset to explore, discover, decide!  I see that excitement in students' faces when we review their results and they see a few items on their list that they a) have been thinking about for quite some time or b) hadn't thought about but see a renewed energy in the possibilities of this new program idea.  What happens when we're excited about something?  We put our energy into it.  Then it becomes the 3,000 word story that is developing and all you can think about is what comes next?  And you're excited for the next day to continue the process of discovery.  (To be honest, if I could write all day/night long without having to worry about getting up in the morning to go to work, or eating, or sleeping, or being social, I would totally do that.)  Now that you're eagerly rubbing your hands together because the light bulb has become this bright beacon over your head, go out into the college world and EXPLORE!  Take the free MBTI assessment and get that interpretation completed ASAP (they'll be gone soon, at least the free ones).  Sign up for TypeFocus, take the personality assessment, then explore occupations.  Check out Career Coach and type in some career ideas.  Find out the salary ranges, job tasks, and job outlook.  Answer the classic questions regarding careers:  How much will I get paid, what will I be doing, and can I get a job?  Check out our Activities Tab and find out what you can do that will take 10 minutes or less to accomplish each day.  If I can write 3,000 words in two hours, you can certainly carve out 10 minutes in your day to explore majors and careers.  Especially if you're feeling the excitement!  Ready?  Set?  GO!

Speaking of writing, check out this website!  They collect stories from students and publish a journal each year.  If you have some great story ideas, poetry, photography, or visual art, look at the website for details and deadlines.  Or just browse through current and past entries.  There are many talented people in our sphere.  Why not share your story with our college community!