Or my children. Or somebody I love.
Nothing spectacular, and no career advice to be found here.
One. Embrace nature and the great outdoors.
Sure, you can be a total fan of big cities and traffic (?), also of your fluffy bed but still, give nature a chance. The moment you’ll start telling one tree from another, or discovering wild berries in hiking paths, or feeling comfortable without WiFi, or being okay in the darkness, this will be a strangely rewarding moment. Not all you’ll get to see out there is going to be beautiful and breathtaking in an instagramable way. But it is going to be authentic, an “experience”. No need to turn vegan, no need to take up camping if you don’t feel like it, no need to teach yourself how to chop wood via videos on YouTube. (I would try camping if I were you, though. Just be ready for the back ache.) A walk in the forest, a weekend in a hut, a night on the beach, anything to get you closer to the big mama (the planet, duh) is not a wasted moment.
Two. Also embrace sports.
It could be your basic gym routine plus admiring your muscles, it could also be a soccer game with friends because it’s amusing. Both more than fine. The important thing is to keep moving. Honestly, don’t be a couch potato. Sports can teach you or even give you tons of things that people far more important than me have talked about. In a nutshell, it’s about health, it’s about commitment, it’s about setting goals, it’s about bonding; it’s also about looking good and having fun. Just do it?
Three. Love animals.
Or at least try to get closer to them provided they’re not poisonous. Because a tiger and a kitty can’t be treated the same way in spite of the blood ties, I understand. But both are somehow part of this greater home we call Earth, and they do deserve some respect and understanding. Actually, just go back to my first point about nature and consider animals, too. You don’t need to buy a pet to fulfill this “obligation”, by the way, so even if your mom keeps refusing it, don’t get too irritated. Learn about animals, honour them, protect them, and stop being blindly fearful – really, stop.
Four. Travel.
I myself embraced travel in my mid-20s and I can tell you it wasn’t that early. Of course, there were other reasons behind this including your regular financial constraints. But looking back on it, I simply used to think travel is not …something. Nobody had ever told me that it is, nobody had shown me the way, maybe I had never felt curious till I felt curious. Well, now I believe it is something. It won’t necessarily make you open-minded and wise. Many assholes travel, too. But it will certainly give you a different perspective: you’ll actually see that there are things (completely) different from your immediate surroundings. Some people are shorter, some darker; rice is the only meal in some parts of the world, raw fish is a delicacy in others; some communities are full of villas, others have no electricity; and some cuisines simply don’t know olive oil, dad. Sure, there are always people who really can’t travel, and people who really don’t want to travel. If you’re the former, fair enough. If you’re the latter, no excuses.
Five. Talk and share.
I’m seriously speaking about everything here. From light-hearted views on music to serious professional talks. Generally, don’t hold back. Ask for an opinion, look for information, discuss a concern, seek help, share something cool you recently read. Please, leave gossip out. This mentality will not only allow you to find your way through an unknown city but also encourage your curiosity, keep you informed, and eventually get you a good mentor during studies. You might as well become a mentor yourself.
I walk fast. 