Here at the University of La Verne, there is ample opportunity for students to become involved in various organizations and clubs. There are organizations which promote ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and academic interests, as well as Greek organizations which allow students to excel within the community and school.
As much good as all of this involvement does, there is an equally bad side. The problem comes with too much commitment. There are students at this University who are too involved in their extracurricular lives. The main purpose of going to college is to get an education, not to participate in as many activities as possible to see how far one can stretch.
I speak from experience. As an overachiever of the worst kind, having a simple life is not in my vocabulary. Many people can empathize with my situation, which is why I am addressing this issue.
School has always been important to me. I cannot remember a time when it was not. However, lately I have found myself slacking because I just do not have the time.
I have a large paper due next month in one class that I have not even thought about yet. It is not because I do not want to do it; I just do not have any time to spare. I keep putting it off because I figure maybe sometime I will unexpectedly have a free hour to squeeze in library time.
Tuesday of this week, I ditched one class to study for a test in another. I should not have to do that, but time was not there for me the night before. I had to sleep sometime.
Somewhere in the midst of this school year, I forgot what it meant to have fun once in a while. I am involved in so much that I can never fully enjoy what I am doing at any time. My mind is so focused on what I have to do next, what I have to do tomorrow and what I have to do next Tuesday that I forget to live in the moment. I forget to smile at people and say, “Hi. How are you?” and truly care about what they say.
Sometimes people become so utterly overcommitted that they can never really do well at anything anymore. They just do an ok job and figure that it is better than nothing; at least they got the job done.
I used to be a perfectionist. Everything had to be just right or it was unacceptable to me. That was a trait I took pride in, a trait I had when I was not so involved or so constantly pressed for time, back when I had more than five minutes of free time a day.
Quality is always better than quantity, and I suppose I lost track of that somewhere between going to class, working, being tremendously involved in my sorority and figuring out when I could squeeze my boyfriend, friends and family into my 25-hour day. I used to participate in things because I wanted to, now I find that most of the things I do are done out of obligation. I no longer want to do many of the things I do, I feel that I have to. This is what people must learn to differentiate.
There is always a breaking point with an overly busy life. It is important to realize when one is about to hit it because it is an overwhelming realization. I recently discovered that something has to give within my own life. I can not do it all, do it well and be happy all at once. I would much rather do a little, do it well and be content. Life should be focused on happiness and joy, not dreaded obligations.
There is only so much a person can do. Take advantage of offered opportunities, but do not forget that no one can do it all. I have tried and I have failed. ULV gives students opportunities, but it is up to the students themselves to decide how many of those opportunities are truly worth taking.
Kristen Dow, a junior English major, is arts and entertainment editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at dowk@ulvacs.ulaverne.edu.
