Throughout my life, the phrase “work hard now for an easier tomorrow” has always been something that many adults told me. The idea that investing time and effort into a more comfortable future made sense to me, and to most, that form of ‘investment’ is schooling. From kindergarten to now, I have challenged myself academically and socially to build a future that I can live in comfortably. I’ve taken difficult classes, participated in various groups and clubs, and tried my best to maintain good grades. I’ve sacrificed lots of opportunities. There were multiple family events and friend hangouts I didn’t choose to attend because of a test the next day or losing a chance to study. I’ve also done very stupid things for the sake of going to school. I went to school even though I was feeling sick. There have been multiple times when I tried to go to school after getting a major injury.
This idea of ‘investment’ can also apply to joining clubs and organizations. If the club is behind a message (community wellness, social justice, etc.), the form of investment would be your time and effort placed into the group in hopes that you can reach their goal.
Many people feel like they have to stay with a group, event, club, etc. because they feel compelled to do so. The struggle between doing things out of obligation and following your heart has a very fine line. For example, I’m in a couple of leadership positions for different groups. I’ve always ensured that these groups were my first priority as a leader because I thought it was my responsibility not to disappoint them, something that I still believe in wholeheartedly. Many groups, especially new ones, need a sturdy foundation of leadership if they want to continue. If someone in a high position of power did not give 100% of their effort into it, things tend to fall apart if there isn’t anyone else to pick up the slack. That’s why I highly value devoting my time to these groups. If you genuinely believe in what they stand for, something beautiful can grow from it. However, not everyone can give that same level of commitment. I feel like it’s not fair to sacrifice so much of your effort and time into something if fellow leaders can’t do the same.
I’m not saying that you should automatically give up on something because it’s suddenly not working anymore, but if you tried to get things running multiple times and nothing works, why should you force yourself to stay on a sinking ship?
I’ve learned that even if an organization has name recognition, resources, and talented people on the team, they can do absolutely nothing due to poor management from their top leaders. I have found lots of success in being part of groups that just came out of people's passion and want to do something, even if they have a disadvantage regarding resources and connections. The key difference between the two is, of course, the leadership, but more importantly, the passion and fun that comes from being able to make something come alive.
There is a constant push that can make you feel compelled to do more, whether it be to study more or be active in clubs. However, it’s also important to remember to take some time to do things just for you. There shouldn’t be any guilt for giving yourself a minute, an hour, a day, where you can just focus on doing things that make you happy. If you’re going to focus on your obligations, please remember that they should be done because you have a passion for them, and you can have a good time engaging with them as well.
We only have one life; it’d be a waste if we constantly used it to focus on the future instead of living in the present.