If you’re reading this, you are not defined by your achievements.
As someone who is now halfway through college, I look back at my freshman and sophomore years and wonder how life moved so quickly. I often hear older people tell me, “Time flies as you get older.” But I’ve always wondered… Why? That never made much sense to me. Yet, the older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve begun to understand.
We live in a culture that is obsessed with achievement and setting goals. From a general point of view, there is nothing wrong with that. I am very much a goal-oriented person. For most of my life, I believed that if I set my mind to something, I could do it, and if I could do it, then it would bring me a sense of fulfillment. It wasn’t until the end of my freshman year that I realized what a lie that is from our culture.
Throughout high school, my first goal was to be known by everyone and have lots of friends. Well, that certainly didn’t fulfill me. Then it was to get into Clemson. That was great, but then it was on to the next one. Then I needed to get involved. Then get good grades. Then find a potential career. What’s next? Get a job? Find a wife? Raise a family? Try to make more money?
Doesn’t this all sound… exhausting?
I believe that there is an enemy burdening us with the mindset that we always have to be aiming for some higher goal. That once we get what we desire most, THEN we will finally feel fulfilled. I can now see how this mindset has distracted me from what matters most— loving and serving those around me. Instead, I have spent much of my life selfishly worrying about what I thought I needed for myself. But life doesn’t have to be lived this way.
Instead of turning to our culture for an example of how to live, I look at my faith in Jesus Christ. He lived life at a slow pace, never in a rush to do anything. At the same time, he was selfless beyond measure. Everything he did, he did for those around him. Through seeking to live like Jesus, I have found true joy and fulfillment. I am nowhere near close to living like him, but I know I’ll never regret trying my hardest.
While many will choose to follow our culture and continue chasing achievement after achievement, I believe that we can all find more purpose in life by taking things slow, loving those around us, and serving others above ourselves. Everyone has the opportunity to find ways to deal with life's struggles and this is a little bit about how I have found mine. This isn’t always easy, as I often still struggle with the idea that I need to keep chasing after the next big thing. But after finally getting a taste of true fulfillment, I know I’ll never turn back.
Jefferson S. Clemson University ‘25
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