Floaters
Thomas Hintz .
02 May 2010I get a lot of flak from people when I tell them that I dropped out of college, when I could've gotten my degree in another year or so.
The basis of what most people tell me is, that my life will be harder, getting a job will be more difficult, without having a degree.
I say: "Awesome!".
Most people don't realize how much ability they have. I hear about people that go through boot camp or tackle something really difficult and I always hear how happy they are to have learned that they have so much potential than they never knew they had. They remark that they were pushed really hard, but they still succeeded.
I contrast these people with 'floaters'. These are people who float through life, trying to find the easiest path to their goals. I saw a lot of floaters in college. People who work really hard and do a good job, but they are more or less following a set path. They float down the stream of life and go where it leads. They do what their teachers tell them. They make resumes and do interviews and hope they land a job. Then they go do that job and do what their bosses tell them. These are floaters.
It's OK to be a floater and kick and swim from time to time, to get around obstacles and move in a better direction. If that is the life that you want, then that's good, continue to be good at it and life will probably be good for you.
But that isn't me. I like things to be difficult and hard. I love swimming upstream and scaling waterfalls. I love being different and pushing myself beyond what I think I'm capable of. I love throwing my boundaries to new heights.
I would much rather have people encourage me and others like me instead of always being told that that lifestyle is difficult and hard. I already know that, I chose that.
When you dictate hardship it can make you into a better person and give you a better life. Don't get discouraged by those who want it easy.
If you are a floater and you don't want to be, then start doing ridiculous things. But don't be stupid about it. Getting a college degree isn't necessarily something that only floaters do. It's the attitude of floaters that others press on me, that bothers me. You can and many people should, go to college and challenge themselves in that way, but have an attitude that pushes yourself.
questions? comments? email Thomas Hintz at t@thintz.com
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