Maybe it’s the English major in me, but I’m a sucker for journaling. Especially in-class journaling. It just doesn't happen as much as I’d like it to and when it does I am in my own personal paradise. So, I got to my environmental literature class the other day with my absolute favorite professor in the world, and as soon as class starts, she tells us to get out a sheet of paper and something to write with because she was going to have us answer a few questions about a novel we are currently reading in that class. And one of the questions she asked really stuck with me.

“What in this world is worth fighting for?”

I must admit, the first things I thought of were lemon poppyseed muffins and smoothies because those are no-brainers. But then I was thinking to myself—really, what keeps me going? What makes everything worth it?

Here are a few things that came to my mind:

Love. Passionate, silly, butterflies-in-your-stomach, warm, wouldn’t-trade-this-for-the-world love. The moment you realize you love someone. The love you have for your mother and your grandmother and the way the sun shines through the windows in your bedroom. The love for your favorite songs and novels and your best friend in the whole world. The love you have for your pets and for the planet and for the smell of cookies baking in the oven. The feeling you get when someone tells you they love you. Ugh.

Laughter. Deep laughter that makes your abs hurt and your eyes water. Those times where you laugh harder than you ever have in your life and cannot catch your breath. When you get to share those moments with people you care about. When someone makes you laugh unexpectedly or vice versa. The feeling you get when someone else laughs at something you said (heck yeah!) or, the best times, when you say something in class and make the whole class laugh. Nothing feels better than that. Laughter can kind of save your life.

Opportunity. The mystery of tomorrow. The fact that things can change in the matter of a minute and that is scary and exciting and exhilarating. The chances you are given to change your life and to change the lives of others. The little moments that make you so grateful for everything you have and everything you get to see and do. When you get involved with someone that provides you with opportunities to do things that you never would have been able to do before. Traveling and seeing the world and opening your eyes to so many new, wonderful things.

And muffins and smoothies, obviously.

While I only listed a few things, there are countless things worth fighting for in the world—no matter how tough things may seem. In class, I only got a few minutes to respond to this question, but it is one that has stuck with me ever since my professor asked. It is something that I will always ask myself when I’m feeling stuck or unsure or unmotivated. There are so many things worth fighting for and you are one of them. So, I encourage you to ask yourself this question because I think it can really change your life.