Mentally preparing yourself for the stress that awaits us in the upcoming school
year is a stress-inducing act in itself. With jam-packed schedules filled with classes,
organizations and jobs, sometimes it’s hard to make sense of exactly WHY we do the
things we do, especially when the stress starts to kick in.
That’s where Simon Sinek comes in. In his book entitled “Start With Why,” he
talks about why the question WHY should be at the root of all we do. The book talks
about great leaders and companies, such as Steve Jobs and Southwest Airlines. Sinek also
talks about the importance of creating a brand, sticking to it and leading others to believe in something greater than themselves.
Asking WHY can be useful in terms of building a company, creating an organization or finding an individual’s passions. The topic of WHY is brought up at an appropriate time because the reality of back to school season is that it’s busy and stressful; you might already be asking yourself WHY you chose to sign up for 18 credit hours, have a job and be involved in four different student organizations. If you’re not yet, you will at some point.
Whenever you ask yourself WHY, think about the big picture. When student
organizations seem frustrating, get organized. Write out your own WHY, including why
the organization exists and why you wanted to be a part of it in the first place. Do the
same for classes, jobs, and anything else you can think of. For example, in 1804
Communication, I hope to lead my peers in knowing more about the industry and
hopefully lead them to a career path that is fulfilling for them.
This is an overall goal to strive for, even when you’re not feeling one hundred
percent committed to the work you’re doing. I’m signed up for a geology class this
semester. Do I want to be a geologist? Not at all. However, I do want to graduate college,
and this fulfills a requirement for that.
This article was brought to you by Jessica Rutkowski, a sophomore strategic communication major. Follow her on Twitter @JessicaLynn57