Here’s to everyone who is afraid of change. To the people that stay in crappy jobs, unhappy relationships, majors you don’t love or anything else that makes you feel stuck. I’m with you; it’s scary, the thought of taking your whole life and flipping it upside down. That can be a terrifying concept to wrap your head around. For some people it’s easy, the thought of being in something that makes them unhappy and staying seems crazy to them, but for us, the people who fear everything that isn’t known and safe, we literally become paralyzed at the thought of change. If you’re still reading this, and thinking to yourself, “yes this is me, this is my life” read on, because I have some words that could change your life.

Change is scary, there is absolutely no denying that fact. To willfully exit what you know to be safe, and enter something new and different takes a lot of courage. You’re taking a risk, and well, some of us just aren’t risk takers and that’s okay. As unhappy as you are, you reason in your head that at least you know what to expect, and how to deal with it. You have questions swirling through the head. What if it doesn’t work out? What if I fail? What if I’m still unhappy?

Two years ago I was there, right where you are now with the same question flying though my head everyday as I dragged myself to classes that I hated. I was studying to get my associates in Animal Science, and I was hating every second of it. However, as much as I hated it I stayed because I knew what to expect, it was safe and I felt like it was what everyone expected of me. You see back then what others expected of me was more important to me than what I expected of myself. So here I was hating my life and miserable, feeling like I had no way out.

I was stuck and didn’t know what to do. Even if I did switch majors I had no idea what to switch to. That was until I got involved with Campus Activities and was introduced to the college talent market. Over the next year I met a lot of people and gained a lot of experiences that led me to fall in love with the College Market, I knew I could do this, and be a talent agent. Still though, I was afraid to tell anyone, or make the change. Those thoughts came back into my head “What if it doesn’t work out?” “What if I’m still miserable?” so I stayed stuck.

Finally, I got some great advice that I’ll never forget. A person who I met in the College Market that has become a great friend to me said, “Alisha you can’t be afraid to fail, you can’t be afraid to change your life, you have to go out there and do what makes you happy, and when that doesn’t make you happy anymore then you find something else that does.” That was the best advice I’ve ever gotten and I’ve remembered it and used it in my life ever since.

There is always going to be another paycheck to be made, you can always find a different job, or relationship, but you only have this one life to make yourself happy. At the end of this crazy ride we’re all on, do you want to look back and wonder what you could have done? No, you want to look back and see all that you did do. There are going to be ups and downs, but that’s all a part of life. We learn from our mistakes, gain knowledge in our bad decisions and find comfort in the love and happiness we gain.

So here’s to everyone out there who is afraid to change, I’m here to tell you that it’s going to be okay. Life has an interesting way of working itself out, so risk boldly and never hold back. I can promise you that it’ll be something you never regret.