Getting out of the Box

I watched a mouse run up and down through the maze that was set up for it and completely related. I was in college and working toward my Pre-engineering degree and was doing a Psychology class. The topic of the class was ‘how we developed a particular behavior based on a particular stimulus’.  Even when the stimulus had been removed we still exhibited the same behavior. The mouse in this case was trained to run from one end of a maze to the other to find the pieces of cheese that had been carefully placed within in it. Even when the cheese was removed the mouse was still running from one end to the next. I felt the same way in my life. I was just running from one thing to the next and felt there was no real purpose behind it.

I loved college life and was working a part-time job in the evening as a bus person.  I was making some money for myself and my classes this semester was not to challenging but regardless of all of this I felt my life was taking no particular direction. I had one more semester and I would have been completed with my degree, yet I did not know what I would do next. Locally there was nowhere to complete my Bachelor’s degree and I did not have either the money or the GPA I would have liked to apply for a scholarship. I did not know what to do. I watched the mouse run back and forth and saw myself just running from pillar to post.

What was the point? I left class feeling depressed and when I arrived home, I felt even worst.  One week turned to two and my best friend saw the change in my demeanor and asked me what was wrong. I explained to him how I was feeling and that I felt even after getting my degree there was no way I would be able to get the job I wanted.  My heart’s desire at the time was to be a Computer and Electrical Engineer. My friend literally laughed in my face and just made me feel worst.  I looked at him and was completely crushed by the fact I had openly divulged to him how I was feeling and he just laughed at me. My best friend smiled at and me and told me I had nothing to worry about. He was in a different major but understood how I felt. He began to tell me a plan of how I could follow through with my degree, get a job and still follow my dream. By the time he had finished speaking I felt a whole lot better.

I was only thinking about the way we traditionally got our degrees, looked for a job and followed what everyone else did. My best friend was an angel sent. I had never thought of the plan he had explained to me. I was going to be leaving college with an associated degree. He pointed out to me that I could have joined the Defense Force at that time and since I had a degree I would have been coming in as an officer. I would only have to serve for a certain number of years and could have retired if I so desired. In the progress of my service I would have been able to further my training, obtain my degree while still utilizing my skills to benefit both the organization and myself. I was so depressed all I could see was what was before me and the traditional root everyone else followed, which was get a degree, get a job, save some money then try to complete your degree if you could not afford to right away.

A Moment of Clarity

The beauty of our lives is that there is no completely wrong or right path to follow if we allow God to lead. When we follow only what we are given traditionally and do not allow room to think or act outside of our regular routines we miss many opportunities for God to show us how wonderfully creative He is and can be through us.  When we follow the paths others have set, it gives us a sense of security but it may not bring us happiness or sincere joy God wants us to truly experience while we are here on earth. Life will not always follow the way we want but when we learn to not just follow learnt behavior but open ourselves for new experiences and ideas we will see that life is a wonderful adventure. I encourage you to try something new and get outside of the box and learn to be grateful for each moment of life you are given and learn to be everyday a Beacon of Light.

Beam of Light for the Week 

Tradition is a wonderful step towards progress; however it can be a chain that prevents us from reaching our full potential if they are outdated. Learn each day to build upon the traditions of our past as we progress towards our future.

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I can be contacted at beaumonttodd@gmail.com