We live in a world where our lives have become one big checklist: go to university, get good grades, get a stable job and build a healthy family. This set of expectations fills life with obligations rather than opportunities to grow into who you are and who you can be.
The best parts about life aren’t always these milestones, but the side quests we accomplish along the way. I don’t know about you, but I have never reminisced over a great university grade. However, I have frequently found myself reminiscing over my last minute decision to apply for the London field course that had quite literally nothing to do with my degree.
Side quests challenge this way of life and help us explore who we are outside of the typical norm, helping us write the story of who we could become. Whether it’s traveling to the other side of the world, picking up a new hobby or even just saying yes to opportunities that don’t immediately contribute to your career, side quests are the key to living a happy and fulfilling life.
When I applied for the London field course, it was a spontaneous way to explore the world outside of the handful of Canadian cities that I had been to throughout my life. When I got accepted, the 10 days I spent abroad planted a seed in me that screamed that there was so much more I could be doing with my time at Brock, beyond joining clubs and passing my classes. It got me interested in the study abroad programs Brock has to offer, and about a year later, I was on a plane to Adelaide, South Australia. This was not a country that was ever on my bucket list, but I fell in love with the culture and found so many opportunities to pursue after I graduate in April, beyond just doing my Master’s. Not only did my exchange experience allow me to travel, but it also showed me how I can combine my newfound love for travelling with my degree.
Besides helping me shape and refine my career goals, actively incorporating side quests into my life has tremendously helped me live a happier, healthier life. Some of them led me to try out new workout classes, go on mountain hikes or push me to be in social settings that I wouldn’t have necessarily gone for otherwise. These experiences all come back to the day trips I took while abroad, as they taught me how to slow down and enjoy what was in front of me.
On my birthday, I took a trip to the Gold Coast, and all I had really planned to do was find some good food and go to the Surfers Paradise beach to relax for the day. Google Maps kept trying to get me to walk through blocked off construction, which got me lost. I walked under a bridge where some children were on a speedboat and turned in the water, leaving me drenched. I gave up looking for the beach and decided to go to a mall instead.
While drying up, I met a shopkeeper who found out it was my birthday, and she gifted me a bracelet to contribute to the stack I was building through my travels. She also got me a kayak rental to boat around the mall. Afterwards, I finally did make it to the beach, where I ran into a free outdoor movie night along the water. Safe to say, even though the start to that day trip started awfully, I would still say it was my best birthday ever.
Don’t just take my word for it; I walked around and asked other students about their opinions on side quests and how they changed their lives.
Sydney Miller, a fourth year Business Communications student, shared how one of her most recent side quests has been heading to Toronto for more smaller scaled concerts, which led her to meet and speak to some local artists about their experiences.
Simran Sethi, a fourth year student in the Neuroscience program, talked to me about the idea of living to work versus working to live. She has recently got into volunteering, and it helped her create a balance between her personal life and her academics. By implementing a set routine and working volunteer shifts, Sethi no longer takes breaks from academics by doom scrolling.
Now that I’ve told you why I think they could change your life for the better, I’ll leave you with some side quests to think about. My next side quest is doing a three-week-long tea farm internship in Japan, but if you’re new to this, here’s what I started with: say hello to a stranger every day, learn a new language, take an improv class, start or run a club through BUSU, write a book, submit your art to a local gallery, take day trips to other cities, or do what I’m currently doing and volunteer to write an article for The Brock Press.