Make Time for Exploration ©

Finding your path in life.

Twenty-one years ago I was a junior in college. And everyday I would do the same thing.

I would have lunch in one of the university cafeterias. On the dining tables there were usually ten to twenty table tents, free-standing flyers announcing opportunities to participate in interesting activities on campus. I would read them all. Some of the headlines read: Come hear the poet laureate; join the political union debate; hear the governor speak; visit the new museum exhibit; become a disc-jockey at the radio station; work overseas; be a volunteer reader at an inner-city elementary school; serve food at the soup kitchen; hear the symphony orchestra; get tickets for the jazz concert; see the opening of the new play.

I would read about these activities and organizations, and I would talk about how much I wanted to participate in all of them. Then I would do a reality check with my schedule, and I would put the flyers back on the table. Sure, I would do some of these things from time to time. But, more often than not, I would let the opportunities slip by.

This daily routine went on for months. At some point my meal-time dreaming drifted into more and more of each day. I wanted more in my life, but I felt committed to the path I was already on.

How could I change the direction of my life? What were my options? I could take the safest and most traditional route: Plug away, deal with it, and believe everything would work out. That is the advice most people gave me. Or I could go a new way: I could do everything I wanted to do by putting off my classes for one year. I could explore. I could find out what I was most passionate about doing. I could learn more about my strengths. I could then graduate one year later.

This new way - a year without classes - was the one that excited me. But then reality would hit again. I would swim in questions of doubt. Was it a good idea? Could I really do it? Would my school allow it? Would my parents accept it? Could I support myself? Would my friends understand it? Would I miss getting a good job? Would it be worth the risk?

In the end, I did it and everyone supported me: I took a year off from school and did everything I wanted to do without classes. I worked part-time to cover my expenses. I went to concerts, lectures, plays, and poetry readings. I became a deejay at the campus radio station. I joined AIESEC, an international leadership organization located on nearly 1,000 university campuses in 100 countries. Through AIESEC I represented the United States at an international congress in Innsbruck, traveled throughout Western and Eastern Europe, and worked in West Berlin for two months. And then I received a scholarship from the Yale Center for British Art to study in London for the summer.

I did not plan these opportunities; they came after I started exploring. My year away from school changed my life. I discovered my passion. I changed my career. I found my path.

If you could make the time, what would you like to do?

What is written on the table tents in your life?

David J. Pollay is the founder and president of The Momentum Project, a training and consulting organization with offices in Delray Beach, Florida and Washington, D.C. Mr. Pollay is a syndicated columnist, and an internationally sought after speaker and teacher on how to build positive momentum in your business and life. Prior to founding The Momentum Project, he held senior leadership positions at Yahoo!, MasterCard, Global Payments, and AIESEC. Mr. Pollay holds a Master's Degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an Economics Degree from Yale University. Email him your stories at david@themomentumproject.com, or call 561.265.1165.