OPINION:

As college looms closer and closer, filling summer break with internships, part-time jobs, and standardized testing seems to become of greater importance than laying on the beach and letting time drift away with the sea salt breeze.

In reality though, being productive 24/7 is pretty much impossible. Your body and mind will be so worn out that you will not be as productive as you want.

So before booking 1,000+ hours to building your resume, you should also plan some time to relax and cool your head. Even if you are not going on vacation, you can have a relaxing time right at home.

Some mental-health boosts could come from finding a room in your house that you rarely go into and reading a book in your new reading nook. Or going outside and doing some gardening to get some fresh air, clear your head, and get a nice tan. There are so many options if you look for them.

But make sure it is complete relaxation by spending it with your phone away. An hour without your phone may seem unusual or even uncomfortable at first, but the satisfaction gained is much greater.

Relaxation is also maximized when you are surrounded by nature. Even without meditation, being in nature encapsulated by the sounds of the birds, creatures, and the howling of the wind does wonders.

It brings people back down and allows a sort of meditation of peace without even a conscious effort to meditate.

After a walk in Sharon Woods or time in my backyard, I never felt that it was a waste of time, but rather, time well spent because I felt happier afterward.

However, I am not encouraging you to burn all your applications and summer homework on the spot. Many are panicking to improve their resumes and stress is piling high, so it is important to find balance and relax a little.

In reality, relaxation can promote productivity and is necessary to keep yourself from going crazy.

SPORTS:

Imagine having a job that will pay you millions of dollars with little to no degree, allow early retirement, gain millions of fans, and allows endorsements which add on millions of more dollars on top of your salary. This is the reality in the word of professional sports.

It is mind-blowing to me that individuals can receive copious amounts of money, more than they can ever spend in their lifetime, for simply playing a sport or being apart of a team.

According to the Forbes “World’s Highest-Paid Athletes” chart, Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer player, and LeBron James, basketball player, are the winners raking in almost 200 million dollars between the two of them. However, Ronaldo gets paid 93 million compared to LeBron’s 86.2 million. Still, an unnecessary amount of money.

Why is it necessary to reward these individuals for their performance? I bet athletes would compete just as stellar receiving five or even one million dollars to play pro.

Could you imagine what would happen if the relished Sunday night football games or March Madness frenzy where millions of Americans cram themselves into sweaty sports bars and gather around jumbo t.v. screens suddenly vanished?

We treat athletes like they are up on a pedestal and will do whatever we can to preserve them for our entertainment. Almost like movie stars, we idolize them and therefore compensate them heavily for remaining in our lives.

Endorsements are a major percentage of how athletes receive additional income. This is an incredibly powerful marketing strategy because sports are so deeply woven into American culture. We crave the approval of athletes so much that LeBron received 55 million dollars alone just from endorcements.

Sports are the bread and butter of American culture. We prove that constantly with our wallet.