When I was much younger, one of my little sister's catchphrases was, "What are you trying to accomplish?" In all honesty, this is the very first question I ask myself whenever I engage myself in any sort of activity. Very rarely do I ever do anything for no particular reason. God gave me so many seconds to be here on this Earth, and I plan on filling all of them with purpose and meaning.
Without further ado, here are my Top 5 goals (in no particular order) that I plan to work toward achieving while in London:
1. Network with students, professors, and other people.
- Many of my college professors have lectured the importance of networking while in college. These lectures hold a lot of merit because there is only so much that can be inferred from college transcripts. A piece of paper should never define a person. However, human relationships can open the door to so many things in this world. Students and professors from all over the United States will be going on this trip with me, and just about all of them are in a similar field of study as myself. I also expect to meet a ton of other people (perhaps even more students and professors) while in London. The opportunity to network on this trip is simply too great to pass up. The connections I will make on this trip could potentially lead to jobs, future connections, future educational opportunities, and much, much more.
2. Absorb the culture of the Olympic Games.
- One of my favorite things to do while in high school was researching different colleges and universities that I could go to. I enjoyed seeing pictures, reading about what each institution was strongest in, and even watching the university's different sports teams. However, none of this compared to actually going to visit the institution first-hand. My dad and I have made some of our best memories by going on trips to visit different colleges and universities. I expect the Olympics to follow a similar pattern. As much as I love watching the intense events, the dazzling ceremonies and the dedicated fans, I know in my heart of hearts that the Games are going to be on a completely different level in person. I cannot wait to test this theory.
3. Explore England
- My ethnicity is entirely Western European. I am part English, part Welsh, part Irish, and part German. To this point, I have never been to any of these countries. My visit to the United Kingdom will help break this streak, as well as mark down another country that I have visited in my lifetime. One of my life goals is to visit and explore as much of the world as humanly possible, and this trip is going to be another step toward accomplishing this feat.
4. NOT LOSE ANYTHING!!!
- For those of you who do not know me that well, I have a terrible track record of losing things. I have battled Attention Deficit Disorder throughout my entire life, and although I have gotten much better at handling it, it still rears its ugly head every now and then. I have to be on constant alert around all these people in London, because some of them may try to trick me and steal my most important possessions. When I went to Europe five years ago, I had almost accomplished this feat. However, two days before we departed for the States, I let my guard down in an internet cafe and had my backpack stolen. Unfortunately, I happened to be carrying my friend's digital camera in that bag, which I still feel terrible about to this day. Thankfully, though, I did not lose anything of greater importance, such a wallet or a passport. I refuse to lose ANYTHING this time around, and with the help of some friends, I think that this can be accomplished.
5. Rely on God
- I am a person who cherishes routine. I love eating the same meals, exercising at the same time of the day, keeping the same sleeping schedule, and many other weird habits. I also take comfort in knowing that I am near close friends and family. On this trip, I will not have this luxury. The people I will be spending most of my time with are people that I have never met. There will be times on this trip that I will be all by myself in an enormous city filled with millions of people. There are times when food, exercise, and even sleep are going to be afterthoughts. Furthermore, there is no telling what can happen in a colossal metropolis filled with millions of people from hundreds of different countries. This is the perfect opportunity for me to take my faith to a new level and to rely on God's might. As it says in Psalm 23:4, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me..." The Lord is my shepherd, and I will do everything and anything that He tells me to do, even in moments of hopelessness. Through God, anything is possible!
Without further ado, here are my Top 5 goals (in no particular order) that I plan to work toward achieving while in London:
1. Network with students, professors, and other people.
- Many of my college professors have lectured the importance of networking while in college. These lectures hold a lot of merit because there is only so much that can be inferred from college transcripts. A piece of paper should never define a person. However, human relationships can open the door to so many things in this world. Students and professors from all over the United States will be going on this trip with me, and just about all of them are in a similar field of study as myself. I also expect to meet a ton of other people (perhaps even more students and professors) while in London. The opportunity to network on this trip is simply too great to pass up. The connections I will make on this trip could potentially lead to jobs, future connections, future educational opportunities, and much, much more.
2. Absorb the culture of the Olympic Games.
- One of my favorite things to do while in high school was researching different colleges and universities that I could go to. I enjoyed seeing pictures, reading about what each institution was strongest in, and even watching the university's different sports teams. However, none of this compared to actually going to visit the institution first-hand. My dad and I have made some of our best memories by going on trips to visit different colleges and universities. I expect the Olympics to follow a similar pattern. As much as I love watching the intense events, the dazzling ceremonies and the dedicated fans, I know in my heart of hearts that the Games are going to be on a completely different level in person. I cannot wait to test this theory.
3. Explore England
- My ethnicity is entirely Western European. I am part English, part Welsh, part Irish, and part German. To this point, I have never been to any of these countries. My visit to the United Kingdom will help break this streak, as well as mark down another country that I have visited in my lifetime. One of my life goals is to visit and explore as much of the world as humanly possible, and this trip is going to be another step toward accomplishing this feat.
4. NOT LOSE ANYTHING!!!
- For those of you who do not know me that well, I have a terrible track record of losing things. I have battled Attention Deficit Disorder throughout my entire life, and although I have gotten much better at handling it, it still rears its ugly head every now and then. I have to be on constant alert around all these people in London, because some of them may try to trick me and steal my most important possessions. When I went to Europe five years ago, I had almost accomplished this feat. However, two days before we departed for the States, I let my guard down in an internet cafe and had my backpack stolen. Unfortunately, I happened to be carrying my friend's digital camera in that bag, which I still feel terrible about to this day. Thankfully, though, I did not lose anything of greater importance, such a wallet or a passport. I refuse to lose ANYTHING this time around, and with the help of some friends, I think that this can be accomplished.
5. Rely on God
- I am a person who cherishes routine. I love eating the same meals, exercising at the same time of the day, keeping the same sleeping schedule, and many other weird habits. I also take comfort in knowing that I am near close friends and family. On this trip, I will not have this luxury. The people I will be spending most of my time with are people that I have never met. There will be times on this trip that I will be all by myself in an enormous city filled with millions of people. There are times when food, exercise, and even sleep are going to be afterthoughts. Furthermore, there is no telling what can happen in a colossal metropolis filled with millions of people from hundreds of different countries. This is the perfect opportunity for me to take my faith to a new level and to rely on God's might. As it says in Psalm 23:4, "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me..." The Lord is my shepherd, and I will do everything and anything that He tells me to do, even in moments of hopelessness. Through God, anything is possible!
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