Zen Pencils

The quote I found on Zen Pencils is from Dean Karnazes, and he states, “We think that if we had every comfort available to us, we’d be happy. We equate comfort with happiness. And now we’re so comfortable we’re miserable. There’s no struggle in our lives. No sense of adventure. What I’ve found is that I’m never more alive than when I’m pushing and I’m in pain, and I’m struggling for high achievement, and in that struggle I think there’s a magic.” This quote is especially poignant for me, in light of the college admissions process. I felt dejected when I found out I was deferred from my first-choice school, but then changed my perspective when I found out that I had been accepted to two amazing schools the next day. I realized that I had been feeling sorry for myself for no reason, and that I should have been focusing more on my schoolwork during that day. Whether we get into our top-choice school or not, the only way we can receive jobs someday is by actively working to develop networks, and acquiring useful skills for our desired professions. The only way to find a worthwhile career is not to depend on a degree from a prestigious school to give us that on a silver platter, but to “struggle for high achievement,” and to relish that struggle, because challenging ourselves, and then ultimately succeeding, is the most fulfilling aspect of life.