As a college student in my twenties, I often find myself anxious and worried about what the future holds: the future of the country, the future of the economy, the future of my career, etc. I have to come to terms with the fact that while I can try to predict and plan for the future, ultimately, there is nothing I can do to prepare myself for whatever lies ahead... To an extent.
There is no way of preparing for events to happen. I will never expect the death of loved ones, or changes in the country, or the economy. I can never prepare myself for getting my first real career job, nor can I prepare for losing it. But some people handle these situations much better than others; people who get back up after every failure, roll with every punch, or never lose hope in the face of complete doom. So, how do they do it?
After seeing what events and personalities make big news from the Olympics, the main person that I hear the most about is Alysa Liu, the Olympic figure skater for America, who just won gold. She is interviewed a lot and quoted for her positive outlook on life. She said that winning the gold medal did not have a huge impact on her, that she was so unattached from the outcome that she wouldn't let it make or break her career. Shes very notably unattached from the failures of her sport, and focuses more on her enjoyment of it. She connects to everything but is attached to nothing, and I think that I can learn something from her.
Maybe the method for getting through the hardships of life is not to try to expect challenges and shortcomings, but to focus on the internal state and ensure that I can learn from it. I am terrified of finding a job, paying bills, or finding housing in an increasingly difficult housing market. These things are constantly changing, as it is their natural state. But so are we, changing and adapting, hurting and healing, succeeding and learning. It's easy to feel overwhelmed in a world of uncertainty, but as long as we know the shape of our soul, we'll be alright.
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