February 2021
I know we’ve all heard the saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” However, I think most people forget to realize that while the grass MAY (emphasis on may) be greener on the other side, it doesn’t mean that your grass isn’t green. For those who haven’t heard of this saying, let me explain a bit. When someone says, “The grass is always greener on the other side,” it is typically referring to someone who is better off than themselves.
For example:
Broke dude:
(Casually strolling through a rich and fancy neighborhood) “Man, I am such a bum, I literally have nothing, am nothing, and will always be nothing.”
(Walks by an immaculate house that clearly comes from wealth) “Wow, now that is a house! Why can’t I have that? Geez, the grass is always greener on the other side.”
Typically, I take a dramatic flair to make my point in these blogs, but the “broke dude” in my mini screenplay is a very realistic scenario that I have seen often and felt firsthand. It is time to get a little vulnerable with you. Succumbing to the “grass is always greener” lifestyle has been one of the biggest weaknesses I have had to overcome. First off, I am a very nontraditional student. I am a 31-year-old student amongst a sea of what seems to be children, of fellow peers and classmates. That infers that there are hundreds of others who are up to 10 years my junior in a better place than I was at their age. I can’t tell you the number of classmates from my high school, who I graduated with, who have a fantastic dream job, house, marriage, kids, frequent vacations and so on. Again, I can’t check any of those things off on my list. So I “felt some type of way” about all of this for quite some time.
I would constantly berate and bombard myself with endless questions of:
“Why isn’t that me?”
“Why do they get that, and I don’t?”
“How come I am not at their level?”
“What am I doing wrong in my life?”
“Am I failing at life?”
I think you get the point. Then, one day, I just woke up to the realization of a couple of things. First and foremost, the main point of this blog: “Just because their grass is greener doesn’t mean yours isn’t.” You must realize that if you aspire for greatness and success, and you are actively seeking it, you’re on the right track. Always maintain that mentality and motivation, and I can assure you that your “grass” will be the greenest on the block. You are your own success story. You are the one in control. YOU are the one that waters this proverbial lawn.
Second, who’s to say that all those great things are really as great as they seem? You must remember that you are on the outside looking in, and that’s it. You don’t know if that fellow peer of yours is even studying what they love. They could have just gone to college thinking that was the next step and were just going through the motions of life. They could also be getting forced into college by their parents and are only trying to satisfy them. Same goes for the ones you graduated with in high school. Is their marriage a happy one? Are they in extreme debt or living paycheck to paycheck to afford that house or vacation? Is their dream job a nightmare? We live in a very showboat society where many people feel it is more important to look good than to actually do good. A lot of times this “success” and “joy” are but a façade. Word of advice: don’t do that. Success has its own timeline, which brings me to my last point.
Success has its own timeline. I cannot stress this enough. Just because you are not where you want to be in life doesn’t mean that you will not get there. Here is a list of well known “late bloomers:
The list goes on, but hopefully you get the idea. Success truly does have its own timeline, and if you just keep your head high and work on yourself and your goals, you will be a success. Remember, if you’re constantly worried about other people’s lawns, you’ll forget to maintain yours, and it will eventually die.
Rooting for you and your eventual success,
—Daniel Pall
Daniel is a master’s student in the Department of Agricultural Economics.
For example:
Broke dude:
(Casually strolling through a rich and fancy neighborhood) “Man, I am such a bum, I literally have nothing, am nothing, and will always be nothing.”
(Walks by an immaculate house that clearly comes from wealth) “Wow, now that is a house! Why can’t I have that? Geez, the grass is always greener on the other side.”
Typically, I take a dramatic flair to make my point in these blogs, but the “broke dude” in my mini screenplay is a very realistic scenario that I have seen often and felt firsthand. It is time to get a little vulnerable with you. Succumbing to the “grass is always greener” lifestyle has been one of the biggest weaknesses I have had to overcome. First off, I am a very nontraditional student. I am a 31-year-old student amongst a sea of what seems to be children, of fellow peers and classmates. That infers that there are hundreds of others who are up to 10 years my junior in a better place than I was at their age. I can’t tell you the number of classmates from my high school, who I graduated with, who have a fantastic dream job, house, marriage, kids, frequent vacations and so on. Again, I can’t check any of those things off on my list. So I “felt some type of way” about all of this for quite some time.
I would constantly berate and bombard myself with endless questions of:
“Why isn’t that me?”
“Why do they get that, and I don’t?”
“How come I am not at their level?”
“What am I doing wrong in my life?”
“Am I failing at life?”
I think you get the point. Then, one day, I just woke up to the realization of a couple of things. First and foremost, the main point of this blog: “Just because their grass is greener doesn’t mean yours isn’t.” You must realize that if you aspire for greatness and success, and you are actively seeking it, you’re on the right track. Always maintain that mentality and motivation, and I can assure you that your “grass” will be the greenest on the block. You are your own success story. You are the one in control. YOU are the one that waters this proverbial lawn.
Second, who’s to say that all those great things are really as great as they seem? You must remember that you are on the outside looking in, and that’s it. You don’t know if that fellow peer of yours is even studying what they love. They could have just gone to college thinking that was the next step and were just going through the motions of life. They could also be getting forced into college by their parents and are only trying to satisfy them. Same goes for the ones you graduated with in high school. Is their marriage a happy one? Are they in extreme debt or living paycheck to paycheck to afford that house or vacation? Is their dream job a nightmare? We live in a very showboat society where many people feel it is more important to look good than to actually do good. A lot of times this “success” and “joy” are but a façade. Word of advice: don’t do that. Success has its own timeline, which brings me to my last point.
Success has its own timeline. I cannot stress this enough. Just because you are not where you want to be in life doesn’t mean that you will not get there. Here is a list of well known “late bloomers:
- John Hamm — famous at 35.
- Connie Britton — famous at 37.
- Jane Lynch — famous at 40.
- Alan Rickman — famous at 42.
- Samuel L. Jackson — famous in late 40s.
- The founder of McDonald’s — famous at 59.
- Colonel Sanders — famous at 62.
The list goes on, but hopefully you get the idea. Success truly does have its own timeline, and if you just keep your head high and work on yourself and your goals, you will be a success. Remember, if you’re constantly worried about other people’s lawns, you’ll forget to maintain yours, and it will eventually die.
Rooting for you and your eventual success,
—Daniel Pall
Daniel is a master’s student in the Department of Agricultural Economics.