Know Thyself, or In Praise of Extracurriculars

I sat rather peevishly at my desk one quiet afternoon, being bored and listening to my ambition grumble. It was upset, it seems, because it had nothing to sink its teeth into. And it was right. There was nothing going on at the moment and nothing really substantial promised to be going on for a while. So I consoled it with the promise of future prey and began charting a hypothetical path toward management. It would be perfectly possible, but it would take a while. My ambition, being impatient like the rest of me, grumbled some more.

It was at this point that I began to wonder – why did I feel this way? What made me think such things were possible or even desirable? The answer was easy – past experience with Eden Troupe, the fencing club, and organizing a couple dances. I had learned more about my own desires and abilities through those experiences than any other at school. And, having tasted it once, I was spoiling to do it again. I miss the strategizing, the envisioning, the managing of people and budgets, and, perhaps most of all, the execution – making things happen and seeing a plan come to life. Those are the things that make me happy, because they require every ounce of who I am – not just this or that part, leaving the rest to be bored.

But such opportunities are few and far between for people of my age. There are times when I wish I could buy a colonel’s commission, like Washington, and skip these intermediate stages. But then, would I really want my beginner’s mistakes to touch off a world war? I think not :). So, for me, the best thing I can do is to simply bide my time and snag opportunities as they come by, moving slowly but inexorably toward my goal.

But for y’all still at school: Join extracurricular activities – don’t just play on the fringes, really get into it. Find out what you love to do and do it. What you learn there can be worth as much as everything you’ll learn in the classroom.