One question that I’ve asked myself a lot is “why am I doing this?” Why am I doing this task, how does this help me, how does it connect to what I want to do or who I want to be? In my first few weeks serving at the Lakes Region Conservation Corps’ Squam Lakes Association site I have done a lot of training courses. In this training, I’ve come across a fundamental life lesson that I think everyone should strive to understand. Finding your “why” is the most important thing you can do for yourself.
I’ve always known generally what I was interested in: marine biology. Whether it be sharks, bony fish, or coral reef ecosystems, I’ve been hooked for as long as I can remember. On the surface, that deeply ingrained interest in the underwater world seems like a pretty good “why,” but when I went off to college with a focus in Marine Biology I struggled. It didn’t make sense to me; I had my interest and I was in a place where I could pursue it. In reality, I had found my “what” but not my “why.” I knew what I was interested in, what I wanted to study, but not why I wanted to study it. This made it difficult to do tasks that felt unconnected like chemistry, calculus, or writing.
My “why” clicked for me when I was participating in the Lakes Region Congress. The Lakes Region Congress is a meeting that SLA and LRCC members were invited to. It brought together conservation groups from a number of New Hampshire water bodies to discuss pertinent issues such as Cyanobacteria and Variable Milfoil. One talk I attended was about water quality trends in New Hampshire. It was very heavy on chemistry, a subject that I previously struggled with connecting to my personal interests. I was enthralled. I was so interested in everything the presenter was saying. I liked learning about the chemical reactions in New Hampshire lakes and I loved being able to connect the teachings to real life processes that I had experienced or heard about.
Upon reflection, I was so fascinated because I could connect these chemical processes to the aquatic ecosystems and organisms that I love so much. That was why I was so enthralled. My personal “why” stems from my “what.” Why was I so interested in that talk? Because I connected it to my main interest. I have been able to use this concept to answer why I do the service I do on a daily basis. While sitting at the resource center waiting for one person to launch their boat is boring, educating them on aquatic invasives and making sure they’ve cleaned, drained, and dried their boat lights my heart on fire. I urge the reader to take time to ask why they are doing a task, and connect it to their personal “why.”
Jasper is a half-year member serving at the Squam Lakes Association - learn more about him here!