If you’ve ever taken a finance or accounting class you might be familiar with the acronym ROI. ROI stands for Return on Investment. In the finance and investing world, Return on Investment is an equation used to value certain investments to make sure you are getting a favorable profit for your time and money. So think about this, are you a worthy investment?
Everyone you have ever met has made an investment in you. No matter how small and menial, the investment was made. Whether it was a simple glance on the street, a smile in the cafe or a handshake at a conference, everybody you have ever met has invested their time and their energy into you. Now that you have thought about this, ask yourself, are you worth investing in?
I know so many people, especially in college, who have had so much invested in them and continue to be lazy, uninvolved and entitled to something.
We are in college to get an education and we are paying thousands of dollars for it. So what excuse do you have to be boring?
I don’t mean boring as in can’t hold a conversation, no personality, etc. I mean stagnant as someone who is not progressing forward.
I consider myself a pretty lucky guy. Born into a financially stable and loving family, I never went a day without my needs met. If you think about it, I owe my parents everything I can give.
No matter how terrible your relationship with your parents currently is, they brought you into this world.
They made the ultimate investment when they decided to have a child, and you were the result. I try every single day to better myself and become a better person so that my parent’s investment of countless trumpet lesson carpools, Capri-Sun soccer snacks and infinite Yu-Gi-Oh cards will be worth it.
Parents do these things because they love us and they don’t really expect anything back from it. But why not give back?
I feel, as my parent’s child, I am obligated to return on their investment by growing up to be a happy, healthy and responsible adult.
Not someone who has no interest in bettering themselves and becoming the man my mother and father envisioned me to be the day I was born.
As much as you want everybody else in your life to consider you a worthy investment, you owe it to yourself, more than anything, to be the best version of yourself.
In a land of unlimited opportunity and a navigable social class structure, we can do anything we wish with some will power and true dedication. It is also easy to become boring and stagnant.
I understand this maybe a little too well after spending my Spring Break laying on my couch and eating unreasonable amounts of cheese quesadillas.
But with the national life expectancy only being at 78 years old, why waste these years on being boring?
As a 20 year old, I feel as if I’m invincible with millenniums of time ahead of me, but I’m sure when that day comes I will wish that I experienced more of the essence of life and ate less quesadillas.
Go out and get involved. As a student at Murray State, you have almost unlimited access to diverse student organizations whose sole purposes are to progress forward and become better people.
I’m the president of a Greek organization, so of course I would recommend fraternities and sororities. I am a firm believer that they have a lot to offer to students who are willing to make the leap to be involved in their community and school.
Through my fraternity, I have gained immeasurable amounts of leadership abilities as well as chances to be involved with philanthropy events as well as school events.
As much as I love being involved in Greek Life, there are several people who frown upon it and that is totally fine. Everyone has their own opinion on it.
I’m not saying the only student organizations that give you opportunities to be a leader and to be involved are Greek organizations – quite the contrary.
Murray State has more than 200 different student organizations including the Sci-fi Club, the League of Legends club (which I’m quite partial to) and even a rugby team.
If a student is interested in something, chances are Murray State has an organization for it.
Is there something that interests you that there isn’t an organization for here at Murray State? Make one. It’s fairly simple.
There is no excuse to sit at home and be boring and stagnant.
I had a pet rock once, whose name was Rocky (I never claimed to be a creative child).
Rocky was excellent at being boring. He never moved, never ate his food and wasn’t involved with anything other than being a rock. Why be comparable to a rock?
Do it for yourself and every person you have ever met.
When people look at you, make them sure that they are making a worthy investment of their time by being extraordinary and exceeding expectations.
You only have a certain amount of time to live this life, so do it big and do it the right way. When you’re lying on your deathbed, you will reflect one of two ways. One way being, “I wish I had done this and that.” The second way being, “Damn that was a good ride.” Make your choice.
Story by Zac Garrison, junior from Franklin, Ky.