It is almost March. Relatively seven months have passed since I was moved into my itty bitty college dorm room and I walked onto campus completely unprepared for the changes that would occur in my life. I've never been a fan of change. I never really liked it because it meant that there would be unknowns, factors that I could not have control of. If you would have told me in May 2015 when I graduated that this was where I would be today, I would have said that you were joking and laughed it off.
College is the only time in our lives where we are completely free to make our own choices, with the knowledge that we alone are going to be held accountable. This can be a positive or a negative aspect of college life, but it was a positive for me. I had time to reflect. I had time to look internally into the deepest parts of myself and figure out what truly makes me happy. I had time to be selfish and decide what I wanted, no matter what other people thought.
To all of my fellow travelers and future travelers, don't forget to take the time to figure yourself out. College may seem like the prime time to get your M-R-S degree or to hold onto your long-term significant other. There is nothing wrong with these ideas and you are entitled to live your own life. Just make sure that you are living your own life and not the life someone else wants to live with you. College is not the time to give up your dreams. It is the time to make big dreams and work hard for them because anything is possible. College is the time to figure out what you are passionate about and to decide what you want to get out of this life. Don't let someone else's dreams overpower yours because you are the sun. You are your own person.
It can be hard to be independent after being so used to the comfort of your family and the purple bed sheets that you loved to curl up in. It can be hard to figure it all out with everything being thrown at you at once. However, you should take a moment and analyze all of these opportunities. Immerse yourself in your university's culture. Join a club or an intramural sports team. Take a hip-hop fitness class. Grab some Krishna lunch. There is so much potential inside of you and you will never find it if you don't step out of your comfort zone and dive headfirst into the water.
I wouldn't have believed someone seven months ago if they had told me about the amazing people who I have met on this campus. I would've said that they were bluffing if they told me about the clubs that I would join or the interviews that I would get. The opportunities of a lifetime are here and they are waiting for you. Don't let them slip away. You are the sun and this is your life. Find what you love. Fight for it. Only you can write the pages of your story, so don't let anyone else finish your sentences for you.
