Expectation vs. exploration
We’re coming to the end of the first term of the university calendar, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. Here’s a brief story of how two first-year students, Erin and Eric, have approached the transition to post-secondary education. Each of them models a paradigm that tends to show up more broadly.
When Erin began her university studies, there were specific gaps in her life she was looking to fill. She hadn't found her “tribe” at high school, and she was hoping to finally connect with like-minded people. She was also looking forward to a more stimulating classroom environment. Her high school teachers had been underwhelming in general. Now she was eager to learn from a more inspiring set of instructors. “Finally,” she thought, “it's going to be fun in class.”
Eric came to university with a different set of assumptions. There were things in high school he had enjoyed, and there were things he hadn’t. But he was mindful of the limits on what could be inferred from the past. He felt there were many exciting moments around the corner, even as he couldn’t predict them in detail. He also felt there would be struggles ahead. He saw both as unknowable versions of the future, largely beyond his immediate control. The most important thing, he reminded himself, was to be open to experiences that could build on each other, eventually creating a brighter tomorrow.
Erin and Eric show the difference between a mindset of expectation versus a mindset of exploration. Erin is more likely to experience anxiety born of the disconnect between prediction and actuality. Eric is more likely to experience the joy of surprise discovery.
Managing our minds is one of the most important skills to cultivate in our Information Age. Rapid change and constant transitions create widespread feelings of disappointment, discomfort, and disorientation. The bewildering lurches of our time require careful attention to our underlying beliefs. We will always be more than what the moment seems to suggest. Each of us is in a constant state of becoming.