A “labour of love”

There are two weeks left in the semester. It’s that time of year when the boundaries between day and night blur, and everything seems like it’s floating in a thick fog. There’s less sleep, more caffeine and just not enough time. What’s not to love?

So I understand if you think you’re too busy to answer my not-so-rhetorical question. But a little bit of introspection never hurt anyone.

End-of-semester crunch time is the perfect time to reevaluate your goals and renew your motivation.When the end seems so near, yet so far, it’s easy to let up on those beginning-of-semester resolutions you made. (“I’m never procrastinating again!”) Not that those have lasted this far anyway.

As your will to get out of bed each morning wanes, remind yourself of a greater purpose, whatever that is for you.  Ask yourself why you’re in college, and why you’re in these classes. (And why you’re on Earth, too, if you’re feeling ambitious.)

Huzzah if you’ve picked a major already or if you already have your heart set on a career path. Use your goals for the future to motivate your actions now.  Instead of thinking, “Someday I’m going to be a doctor, but until then, I’m stuck learning all this biology,” focus on how your classes will help you get to where you want to be. View each course as a crucial step in training that prepares you for the next step, which prepares you for the next step, etc. (Insert a clever reference to how Rome wasn’t built in a day here or perhaps mention how a wise man once said, “wax on, wax off”).

Stress about finals and grades can sometimes overshadow our ultimate goals and can lead to misdirected frustrations. If you “just HATE” chemistry, why are you majoring in it? It’s likely that you don’t hate the subject, but instead hate the work involved. But no great accomplishment comes easily—it’s going to take some effort. This is why reviewing your purpose is so important. Reminding yourself of why you’re doing something can make the process more bearable.

The Kinks explained this phenomenon well in their song, “Labour of Love.” True, The Kinks are singing about marriage, and I’m talking about finals, but the idea is the same: the best things in life require a lot of work. Marriage requires communication and understanding; finals require motivation and caffeine.

Once you understand what you want out of your coursework and your degree, you’ll begin to see your academic efforts as a “labour of love.” Let your passion for the subject matter or for your future plans inspire you to put in the necessary effort to finish strong this semester.

I wish the best of luck to you, Gusties. Do great things.