Because We’re Curious

Walt Disney once said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

This quote is great, not just because of Walt Disney, but because I think it applies specifically to college students. At this point in our lives we have big dreams and find every possible way to achieve them. We have to account for constant changes in our environment and our interests. Although those changes are stressful, they eventually lead us to new paths to success. Four years ago I had no idea that I would be an Integrated Marketing Communications major, at Ithaca College, playing lacrosse, and writing for Imprint—to name a few examples. We change goals, habits and even interests based on the world around us.

Our curiosity leads us to create those opportunities. If we don’t like something we do, we are more willing to try other things. We may decide that we want to join a new club, in addition to the ones we are already involved in, simply because we want to try it out. Joining this new club could lead us to an internship or a new friendship that never would have occurred without ambition and curiosity. Acting upon the curiosity we have is the difference between creating opportunities and moving forward, and standing still.

The best method of trying new things is to just “do.” From personal experience, if I sit down and analyze the situation or whatever it is that I want to try, I don’t act, whereas if I am thinking on my feet it is easier for me to jump in regardless of my comfort level. This year my roommates and I have decided that we want to try one new thing each month—it’s easier if you set small goals in larger increments of time. Trying new things can include anything from food to clubs to maybe even taking some time out of the day for you. Any activity or item that brings new things into your life is good.

So what? This whole, “try something new” is cliché, right? Well, it might be, but think about it this way: getting stuck in the same routine with everyday habits can get stressful and can sometimes even prevent you from moving forward in your career or in school. We can get trapped in the same ways and just be “going through the motions,” and not really living. Making one small change can have an incredibly positive impact. I’m certainly not saying to go crazy and do something extreme. These “new things” don’t even have to cost any money. Keep it simple—just take some time for yourself and remember that the little things in life add up. You never know where a new path will lead.

Photo courtesy of http://lifesperks.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/20120923-221014.jpg?w=640