"You're either busy being born, or busy dying..."

Another nugget of wisdom from my mentor that has guided me well.

On a personal level, I'm always trying to put myself in situations where I am learning something new. Earlier this year, I attended a writer's conference which was wonderful. Just this week, I took a course to earn my motorcycle endorsement. Challenging your brain keeps your mind young, and it makes life more fun. It's never too early or too late to make that a value in your life.

"You're either busy being born, or busy dying" is also good advice for student organizations. What are you going to do this year that's new? What new ways can you find to serve your organization's mission? What new organizations are you adding to your council or your roster of student groups that will add new life and excitement to your campus?

Ask yourself, "Is our organization (or council, or chapter, or league) busy being born?" If you cannot point to specific ways you're growing, expanding, and experimenting, then you're busy dying.

It's much more fun to lead an energized organization focused on being born. Look at the energy that surrounds a new fraternity or a new activist student organization. Remember, people support what they create (another nugget from my mentor). Simply maintaining an organization makes motivation difficult.

Fortunately, even the most established student organizations can shift into "being born" mode.