Jill asks: Who are you going to be? Posted on November 30th, 2010 by Benjamin Batz

Hey friends,

This week you get to hear from Jill.  Enjoy!

Can you believe it’s December?!  It’s my turn to write the blog this week, I am the lucky intern this week since I am the only one not involved in Christmas in Christ Chapel.  Let me introduce myself. My name is Jill Manthey, I am a Junior Health Fitness Major, from Plymouth Minnesota.

How many times have you gone through that same introduction? And then answered the dreaded question, “so what do you want to do with that (your major)?”  I think that it is fascinating that we are expected, at 20 –ish years old to have a plan for our lives.  Entering our first year here we are encouraged to create a four year plan.  Well I have had at least 7.  Maybe more.  Last year it flustered me that I just couldn’t decide what I wanted to do, and that nothing seemed right.  I hated going through the recipe book introductions, because I just had nothing to say.   I felt like everyone else had a great answer for their questions, and had no problems introducing themselves.  But I learned something this summer that has helped me and I thought I would share it with you.

This summer I worked as a canoe guide at a camp on the border of the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters.  All summer I was blessed with the privilege of leading church groups on 5 night trips throughout the wonderful wilderness of the BWCAW.  Before we leave on our trip we leave a route plan with the camp in case of emergency.  We also label a possible back up route, and I almost always also left a backup back up route.  I think that I followed my first route listed once out of 7 trips.  All my other trips the route changed as we went.  One of my group’s attitudes about canoeing and the wilderness changed hourly, so we decided the plans for the day at breakfast.

I learned that plans will always change.  Life throws things at us and we have to be ready to take it.  I think that it shows more about a person if they are able to adapt in all circumstances, rather than someone having everything planned out and not knowing how to react when something doesn’t go according to plan.  I have learned now, that it is more important to decide WHO you want to BE, instead of WHAT you want to DO.  Well I have a major declared, I am still completely unsure of where it will take me.  I do however know that I what to be the best person I can be, and that is the most I can ask of myself.  I am not always in control of what jobs open up or what positions I get hired for, but I can always control myself and how I act.  I encourage you to stopping planning your life, and start living your life.  Live out your passions.  Dream dreams and then go chase after them.  Do what you love.  Be the person you want to be.  Live the life you are being called live.

Who are you going to be?  Feel free to respond or leave a comment, we would love to hear your input!  And if you’d like to write a blog to your fellow CVR enthusiasts one of these weeks, please e-mail me at bbatz@gac.edu.  We would love to have you join the discussion!

CVR love!