Driving home yesterday, I was singing loudly along to one of my favorite singers, Ingrid Michaelson. In this particular song, Lady in Spain, she sings:

I can be anything that I see.

I can do anything I want to.

I can be anything my heart tells me to do.

I’ve heard this song before, and in fact, have sang along to it many times over the last few years. It has always made me happy, and sometimes has even served as a motivator when I may have been feeling lost and needed a little push. It has never failed to restore the faith in myself that I needed to forge ahead. Because hey: I can do anything my heart tells me to do!

And it’s true: I can. The biggest obstacle in my life has never really been an outside force. It’s always been me. My mind. Is today a day that I will believe in myself? Or is today a day for self deprecation, procrastination, fear,  “I can’ts,” and excuses?

Already deeply affected by the lyrics, yesterday I found even deeper meaning in them.

In the last 3 weeks, I have read 2 incredible books:

1. Think by Lisa Bloom

2. I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

Both have served as an important reminder that I have, quite frankly, been taking my freedoms for granted, particularly, my education. If the only thing standing in my way of achieving any goal is my ability to choose a positive attitude, I have absolutely nothing to complain about. Ever.

Because I have the power of choice. I got to choose if I wanted to go to school or not. I got to choose what career(s) I would pursue. Everyday, I get to choose my wardrobe. I get to choose where I live. I even get to choose if I can walk across the street to the grocery store by myself, unaccompanied by a man, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. And I know no one will attack me for it. Not here.

I have the power of choice, the freedom to choose and to get educated.

It’s something that you would think everyone should have. But the reality is that they don’t. And these 2 books were a fierce reminder of that. Sure, the atrocities of the world are all over the news, every day, serving as a reminder of how good we have it here. There is poverty, hunger, fighting and terrorist attacks afflicting countries some of us can’t even pronounce, much less have even heard of.

Yet there is so much of this news that it almost becomes white noise that we cannot help but to drown out. Out of sight, out of mind. We civilians feel like we can’t do anything about it so why should we bring ourselves down by listening to it all?

And it’s easy to put it out of your mind. You read about some horrific event and then look outside your window and see the sun shining and the flowers blossoming. All is peaceful here. And so, you go about your day, completely unaware of the small choices you get to make that seem insignificant to you, but that mean everything to those in lands far, far away (and arguably, some even close to home). Because they don’t have those choices. They don’t have the freedoms that you do.

And in the midst of the white noise, do we actually stop to think about how the atrocities are affecting the everyday lives of the people living among the terror? What is it like to get to the grocery store to get food? What foods are even available? Do they have money to feed themselves? Do they have enough water? Do they have shelter? Electricity? Access to health care? Education?

Malala Yousafzai was 15 years old when she was shot in the face, point blank, while sitting on a school bus on her way home after an end of year final. She was shot because she wanted to go to school and get an education, just like her brothers and fellow male classmates. That’s it. Nothing more. She and her fellow female classmates felt they had an equal right to education. Malala’s attacker did not feel the same way.

She survived the bullet and the vicious attack, but do you think that kept her quiet? Absolutely not. This remarkable and courageous woman doesn’t even harbor a bad thought about the man who tried to kill her. All this Nobel Peace Prize Nominee is fighting for is the freedom for women in her native Swat Valley in Pakistan – and everywhere –  to be educated. She doesn’t have time or energy to waste on hatred, because not only has she seen what it has brought to her country, but it’s also pointless. And she has bigger fish to fry.

Yet we, in North America, get caught up choosing the best school, the best degree, the best place. No one is telling us that we don’t get that choice to begin with. We don’t risk getting shot in the face every time we go to school or to work, looking over our shoulders, hiding our book bags and thanking God every time we make it to and from school, unharmed.

The point that I’m trying to make is that we in this country, especially as women, have the power to act, to think, to choose. It wasn’t always that way, and yes, we are still fighting for equal pay and we still face discrimination. Yet our basic rights and choices are protected. We have a voice and are encouraged to use it.

In Lisa Bloom’s book, Think, she opens with the following sentences:

“Twenty-five percent of young American women would rather win America’s Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize. Twenty-three percent would rather lose their ability to read than their figures. A quarter of us would rather win a contest for looking bootylicious in a thong than for, say, ending genocide.”

The book is a bit of rant – as it should be. Because the fact of the matter is that we are smart. And many of us aren’t maximizing the potential of our brain. It wasn’t long ago that we didn’t even have the right to vote in this country. That only came in 1920, not even 100 years ago! Let’s honor and respect the battle that the women before us fought to get us the same kind of freedoms that Malala is fighting for. There are girls like Malala fighting for their right to be educated all over the world, and yet here, it is a basic right that we have come to expect.

Honestly – I don’t know how to talk about this without sounding preachy, nor do I know how to do the topic the justice it deserves. But I would be remiss if I didn’t at least try.

What I’m tying to get at is this:

We can do the Malalas of the world the honor of respecting our educations and keeping our brains sharp. Because knowledge is power. It breeds new thought that leads to new and better technology, helps us to make rational decisions, keeps us informed, keeps us out of poverty.

So don’t let your education end after college. Stay informed. Keep learning. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry. You don’t have to give up your favorite tabloid magazines or brain-rotting television shows (though try to minimize them because research shows that engaging in this kind of activity can actually lower your IQ). But you can add some things into your routine that will serve to activate those brain waves and sharpen your thinking. The world is at a critical point right now. It needs critical thinkers who will drive positive change in every area, from the environment to world affairs and everything in between. So let’s get to it.

Here are some things to incorporate into your schedules to keep you informed and sharp:

1. Carve out the time to read the cover of your local newspaper each day, at the very least. If you’re interested, read more.
2. Carve out the time to read the cover of The New York Times or another world renowned newspaper each day, at the very least. If you’re interested, read more.
3. Watch 30-60 minutes less TV per day (and more than that if you can handle it). Replace that time with something useful, like journaling, meditating, reading, connecting with friends/spouse, playing an instrument, scrap-booking and other hobbies.
4. Workout. And if you don’t want to sweat, go for a walk.
5. Listen to podcasts and audiobooks in the car instead of music. Do the same while you’re cooking or doing household tasks.
6. If you can outsource those household tasks, like cleaning and even cooking, do it. Put your time to better use.
7. Subscribe to at least one thought provoking magazine like Time, INC, Forbes, Fortune, or Entrepreneur magazine.
8. Watch more documentaries.
9. Find an organization whose mission you like, and donate money to them throughout the year. Volunteer if you can too.
10. In conversation or when reading, if you find yourself not knowing something, stop and Google it. Educate yourself constantly. Stay sharp.

I’m not perfect. I get seduced and roped into things too, particularly in line at the grocery store. Seriously, what’s the deal with Oprah and Stedman? Will Brad and Angelina ever get married? What do they have like 17 kids now?

But it’s just noise. None of that matters. Put your noggin to better use, my friend. Or at least try. If for no other reason than because you can.

Your friend,

Lauren
xxx

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