26 February 2009
Quo Vadis? Quo Animo?
While it might seem a bit pretentious to be breaking out the latin, regular fans (all four of them) will know that Green Grads was initially founded with this motto.
Quo Vadis? Quo Animo?
– Where are you going? With what intention?
A deep question, but an essential one. And I thought that it might be a good time, in the first week of Semester One 2009, to consider the importance of our little catchphrase.
Mantras Are Overrated
I never got into the self affirmation thing. If it works for you, hey that’s great don’t get me wrong, but for me, I never found any peace or power from repeating an expression to myself. I guess these days I’m chasing those ‘click’ moments, where things suddenly make sense. I get a sense of purpose from those clicks. But a mantra, particularly one that you repeat over and over, it’s like a mystery that I’ve already solved. It has already made sense to me once. I’ve already enjoyed the ‘click’. They’re just words.
So keep that in mind when reading this, because while I strongly suggest you keep this expression close to you – I’m not suggesting that they will unlock magical powers. They’re just words.
But Sometimes They Get the Job Done
So why do I like these words?
Quo Vadis? Quo Animo?
– Where are you going? With what intention?
I like them because they give me perspective. Sometimes I find myself caught up in what is happening around me and I lose sight of the big picture. Whether it be deadlines, relationships, wants or needs, something occupies all of my attention and I lose perspective.
By repeating these words I’m able to take a step back and look at my task in a different light. What is my objective? How is this task relevant to that objective? Why am I here? Why am I putting myself in this spot – and what am I going to do from here on in?
Of course, when you’re knee deep in stress it’s very difficult to repeat some words and be overcome by waves of soothing calm. In fact, I’ll give you the tip, things rarely happen in the nice and simple way people like me describe in their blogs. Self help crap like this is easier to sell than it is to live.
But the theory is sound :-)
So Where Are You Going?
Besides, this is pretty simple stuff. I’m not selling ‘The Secret 2.0′. Get started right now. Uni is here – whether you like it or not – so take two minutes right now to get your headspace sorted.
Where are you going? With what intention?
Is this your first year at law school? Have a think, then, why are you here? Are you here because your parents put pressure on you back in high school? That’s fine – you’re certainly not the only one – but think, what are your intentions now that you’re here? Perhaps this stage in your life is about getting through school with ok grades, making friends and doing some growing up.
Or perhaps you’re here because you want to excel academically? Great! Why, though? Do you love the law? Do you just love being the best? Do you intend to learn for the sake of learning – or do you intend to do whatever you need to do for the grades and then move on? Both are fine, there’s no judging here dude you’re in a safe place, but have a think and get it straight for yourself.
Perhaps this isn’t your first year at all. Are you coming back to uni? How have things been so far? If you’re not happy with your past year – what do you plan to do this year? Are you looking to improve your marks? Or were your marks fine, do you need to improve your social life? Perhaps both of those areas fine, but now you want to improve on last year a little bit?
And With What Intention?
There are no right answers of course. This stuff isn’t new and you’re probably familiar with it from high school or work or Oprah. But it’s just too easy to roll our eyes when someone suggests this stuff to us. Whereas, if we take the time now to have a little think, things come just so much easier.
The big assignment due isn’t the vicious smoke monster chasing you through the jungle. It’s just a tool for you to use to achieve your objective. Use it for what it is to get you where you want to be and keep on moving forward.
Um, Clickity Click Click
Ok, so, how do I tie all this together. Well for starters, I’l repeat what I wrote at the start. For me, this isn’t a mantra. The words are meaningless on their own. They are questions I ask myself, not for the sake of asking questions but for the sake of finding answers.
It’s the answers that give you that ‘click’ moment. When you realise that you’re just here to get by with ‘good, but not great’ marks then you can relax a little bit and focus on enjoying yourself and making great friends.
When you conclude that right now you need to get the best marks possible, you can put aside some petty squabbles and focus on the essay in front of you. Or, if you’re not able to focus just yet (and people take a long time to learn that skill, trust me) you can soak up all the ‘mm that feels good’ feeling from the good grades you earn along the way.
It’s those ‘click’ moments that make this worthwhile. A realisation that the task in front of you is just another step in a series of steps to get to where you are going.
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