Where Am I Going?

            What are five, concrete and specific things you want to do in the next ten years? Ten years is a lot of time but also, in the grand scheme of things, not much time. The options are endless, and, being in college, especially open as I am still trying to figure out the course of my life. So, the five things I want to do in the next ten years are to finish an Iron Man race, to help someone who is morbidly obese become healthy, to train an Olympic athlete, create a stable financial situation, and enjoy life and relax a little.

            My first goal is to finish an Iron Man race. This race consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and then a 26.2-mile run, all raced in that order and without breaks in between. I always want to push myself to do stuff that seems impossible. Just to be part of that elite few that have finished the race would make me very proud of myself for conquering the challenges in front of me. The first step I need to take to reach this goal is that—a first step. I need to train harder than I ever have by swimming, biking, and running more all without breaks. I need to put on some shoes and go take the first step. I will make this happen, and be very happy when I have accomplished this feat.

            Another thing I want to do in the next ten years is help an obese person become healthy and cerate healthy habits as to not gain the weight back. This kind of thing is why I am studying Exercise Science. I could only imagine what it would be like for a person to lose all that weight. Just the happiness and pride for a person to say, “Yeah, I did that.” I can’t do it for them—losing weight is something a person has to decide to do for themselves. I would just be there to guide and motivate them on their path to a better, and probably longer, life. Just the idea of being able to be a part of something like that, someone’s journey, fills me with so much awe and amazement that always puts a smile on my face. To obtain this goal, I have already taken the first step by signing up for Exercise Science classes.

            To switch gears and visit the opposite side of the spectrum, I also want to help train Olympic athletes, preferably the track and field athletes or marathoners. Once again, just to be able to be a part of that in a person’s life would be really cool. To be there with them through their training, watch their progress, and then watch them compete for a medal for their country would be a fantastic experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I am already signed up for training classes next semester, which is my first step in achieving this goal.

            In the next ten years, I would like to create a stable financial situation by getting a steady job, a house, with having enough money for recreational enjoyment. I am extremely paranoid about money, so having a steady income would lift a weight from my shoulders. I am not for sure what kind of job or house or where I would want to be, but it is very exciting to think of the idea of being financially stable. To get to this point, I will stay in college, get a degree, and either go to graduate school or get my masters in whatever I end up deciding to do.

            The final thing I would want to do would be to relax and enjoy life more than I am now. Right now, I am going at full panic speed trying not to drown in the sea of social life and college work. It is already November 13^th, and the last day of the semester is December 8^th.  It is crazy to think that we are already to this point in the semester. Everything is going way too fast and way too slow at the same time. I need to slow down, relax, and try to enjoy. It may seem like I am dealing with a lot right now, but I know that college is supposed to be one of the most fun times in your life when you don’t have many responsibilities other than going to class and turning in work on time. Life’s going to pass me by before I know it, and I want to be able to look back and say that I lived life to the fullest and enjoyed every moment of it. The first step, I guess to take, is to force myself to have leisure time. Usually, I am working on school stuff non-stop, even trying to get ahead when I have already finished other work. I have to force myself to go hang out with friends and enjoy a movie or even just go on a walk outside. To relax, I have to push myself.

            The future is both terrifying and exciting at the same time. I worry about a lot of stupid things, but I also know that I don’t know what the future has in store, so it is an adventure. I have no idea where I will be in ten years, what I will be doing, or who I will be with. The future is filled with possibilities to help me grow as a person and grow in my profession, and I can’t wait to start my professional life. . . (well, I guess I should stop and enjoy the present a little more before I worry about the future).

ESSC Club Meeting

            Today I went to an Exercises and Sport Sciences club meeting that was held on campus in the Mini-Dome. I joined this club because I am majoring in Exercise Science in hope of becoming a personal trainer for both Olympic athletes and extremely obese people. So, when I got the email saying there was a meeting, I made sure to put it in my planner.

            Let me tell you, I got so lost trying to find the meeting room for this club. The not-so-mini Mini-Dome is single building covers five acres’ worth of land. The first obstacle I faced was that I couldn’t find a door with a handle on the outside to even get into the building. The meeting was later in the evening, so the doors that did have handles were locked, as classes were over. I wandered around the entire building in the dark until, by chance of luck, I found an open door. My next challenge was getting to the room. The labyrinth of hallways that look exactly the same made me so disoriented. Eventually, after wandering, I found another life form that I could ask for help. They told me to go across the field and upstairs. The Mini-Dome previously was where our football team played, but because of fire hazards, they were relocated. So, now the track and cross country teams, along with other sports, use the soft rubbery field as a place to practice. I found the field, was able to find stairs, and finally got to the room.

             There was a group of probably about 15 other kids there. As we talked, I learned that all the kids ranged from age group and concentration, but all of them wanted to do something with Exercise Science. The leaders of the club had convinced some people to come talk to us. There were a couple of physical therapy students, an occupational therapy student, and an actual physical therapist that were there to answer questions and discuss their journey they took to get where they were. They were all very helpful overall. They all gave us advice for applying to graduate schools and gave extremely helpful tips about the interview process that you have to have to get into the majority of schools. They discussed why they chose what they chose to do, which was insightful, and they also were very supportive and told us that although it is hard, if you stick with school and the workload, the benefits of going through it are worth the stress and money. The physical therapist even gave us his card and said that if we needed an internship to call him, and he could help set something up for us, which all of us were very thankful and gracious for that.

            I really enjoyed my time spent at the ESSC club. I must say, having the opportunity to listen and ask those people questions was well worth the fear and panic of getting lost. The club meets every month, so I am hoping that our next meeting will be as insightful and this one was!