If yesterday had a theme, it would be that passivity and lack of goals/focus gets you nowhere. Met a young woman working as an airport cafe cashier who said she tried college but hated it. I probed a bit and the root was that she didn’t really have something to aim for, just taking general classes. Of course she hated it! She was so beautiful and sweet and clearly just needed a reason to succeed at something.

I also had a great chat with my cousin about the same theme. It’s something I think is really missing in our society: guidance for the middle 80 percent of students who have no idea what to apply their passion and energy toward.

I had a long history of achievement and confidence when I graduated high school, so in college I was motivated by pride and also poverty (wanting to create a better life than I was handed). I pursued a degree with the most immediate and highest payout (short of gambling!).

This passivity that many students bring to college infects everything else: political involvement, relationships, everything.

The easiest way to start overcoming this is to start getting on top of your small everyday accomplishments. Make a list of everything you’ve been putting off and do one of them. The feeling of accomplishment is powerful and leads to more positive actions in the direction of your dreams.