So, What’s Next?

You worked so hard to get to where you are right now. You sacrificed a lot of fun times, lost a couple of friends, sleep hours, etc to get to where you are right now. Or perhaps, as some would say, “you got lucky”. It could be a new school, grade level or job in a different place. Whatever it is, you have this strong feeling that “yeah, the efforts were worth it”. I wanted to ask you what I’ve been asking myself: so, what’s next?

On the evening of August 17th, 2015, when I got to America to start college, I had two conflicting expressions. One one side, I was like “Omg! Yes! I made it!” which reminds me of the several hurdles, ever-stressful moments and the struggles of college applications, especially as an international student. On the other hand, I was like “so, what’s next?”. The more I tossed around these conflicting feelings mostly during my freshman year, the more I realized how easily we forget about the past experiences that define us, gives us great opportunities and puts us into certain positions as we try to fit into a new culture and environment.

While it’s very good to celebrate accomplishments and life events, I think what makes the difference is how long we keep ourselves in the ‘celebration mode’ before we switch back to business, getting the next thing done. You wouldn’t know what’s next if you’re not ready to switch gears, to get better, work harder, achieve more, learn more and get more. We don’t have to be perfectionists to make attempts to get better at everything we do. It’s just a basic principle of life (whether carbon-based life or silicon-based ‘life’- I promise I won’t dig into this lol). Why would you work hard to get this far only to relax and settle for something less? Yup, you made it this far, but guess what? There’s way more to achieve. We’re made for more.

So you know what’s next? It’s you. It’s your time to get back in the game and be the winner everyone knows you to be, the one who doesn’t settle for anything below the ultimate. You’ll definitely meet those who don’t care and will settle for anything. But you have to know that It’s okay to be different. It’s okay to continuously strive for the best. Whatever stage you are right now, I want you to know it’s your big opportunity.The spotlight is on you, and you ain’t going to waste it, would you?