This is a guest post from TampaBayScene’s Dasha Rodriguez.
After a trying and tiring week of final presentations, papers, exams and group projects, I felt there was very little that could re-energize my spirit. Throughout this stressful week all I could think was that this is still not my last semester of surviving finals week (the other “f word”).
Aside from my hour long session of yoga that only reminded me of exactly how tired I was, I was feeling a loss of mojo and drive. Then I came across this little gem of a music video by Baz Luhrmann called “Everybody’s Free To Wear Sunscreen,” from the nostalgic ‘90′s when everything in the world was right, and all that really mattered was waking up early enough to catch “One Saturday morning” cartoons (sigh).The lyrics from the song come from Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich’s famous essay about life.
Naturally with all the things fighting for attention in the mind, the stresses of college life sometimes weigh heavy on the soul, (because if it was easy everyone would do it, thanks to my big sis for that piece of advice), but for those fortunate enough to be graduating this term, this one is for you.
I won’t lie — I’m currently suffering from a chronic case of senioritis, and maybe that inspired this video some too. It’s a great reminder of all of the simple things that are important to keep in mind, and it definitely gave my attitude a little nudge in the right direction so that I may be hopeful and positive in this final year of my “road to success.”
The advice in this 5 minute video is probably going to be the best and most honest advice you will receive to prepare you to truly carpe the diems to come. The raw realities of things that not even the most wondrous institutions can’t teach you, things you just have to remind yourself as you breathe easy day by day, things that will come with experience.
Via: flow-dreams.blogspot.com
Here are a few of my favorites from the list (okay, a lot of my favorites…)
-You are not as fat as you imagine.
-Don’t worry about the future, or worry but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
-Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
- Sometimes you are ahead, sometimes you are behind. The race is long and in the end it is only with yourself.
Via: freshexpressionsus.org
-Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults.
-Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
-STRETCH! (I live for the euphoric feeling that comes after a solid yoga session; you won’t believe the improvement in your attitude and outlook that comes when there are no annoying cricks in your neck to piss you off.)
-Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what to do with their lives, and some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.
-Maybe you will marry, maybe you won’t.
-Maybe you will have children, maybe you won’t.
Via: urbanparentingmagazine.com
-Enjoy your body, use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it is the greatest instrument you will ever own.
-DANCE, even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. (I really enjoy one-person dance parties in my living room… bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Really anywhere works for me!)
-Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
-Get to know your parents; you never know when they will be gone for good.
-Be nice to your siblings. They are your best link to your past and will most likely stick with you in the future.
-Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
-TRAVEL!
Via: onestepforward.com
-Accept certain truths. Prices will rise, politicians will philander and you will get old. Once you do get old, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices where reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
-Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you will have a wealthy spouse but you never know when either one will run out. (Literally).
So, especially to all of you graduating this year, congratulations, this one is for you. For the rest of us keep this advice in mind. And hey, at least we survived the dreadful F word! So rejoice and wind down, or turn up — do whatever you find suitable. Have a one-person dance party and throw on a little Bob Sinclair “World Hold On.” Build a fire, burn your notes and do a dance around them in circles as manically as you please, because even after all is said and done one day you, too, will have the answers. Leep the negatives to a minimum, and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Featured photo courtesy of: Love
