There’s a saying that my roommates and I would say whenever we were faced with a problem that didn’t necessarily require an immediate action. “That’s future Me’s problem!” If an issue presented itself and we didn’t feel like it had to be addressed right away, we would say, “That’s future Me’s problem!” set the problem aside, and carry on in the hopes that the future versions of ourselves would be ready to handle it. Sometimes our future selves could handle the issue we had delayed, but in most cases, we would realize that we would have been far better off if we had solved it right away. Now, this saying was invented in college, but I recently realized that I had been using this ideology before me and roommates created the phrase.

When I was choosing my major for college I knew that I wanted to do something involved with international relations or the environment. But my family and other respectable people urged me to pursue an education in engineering, something I had no interest in. I was reluctant to the idea but I figured I would eventually come around to it since so many people believed that this was the path for me. So I started my freshman year as engineer, and by the end of the first year, surprisingly, I hated it. But I was told once again by my family and peers to hang in there because they all still thought that I would make a great engineer. So I persisted, hoping that moment where it would all click was just around the corner. One year and several different engineering classes later, and I still hated it. Like, this was the worst year of my life, I am extremely miserable, hated it. And that’s when it clicked for me. I realized that I dreaded almost every aspect of the life I was pursuing, and although maybe one day it may lead to some kind of success, deep down I would always wish that I had done something else. So I made a switch.

After my second year I made the radical decision of switching majors completely, into something I actually enjoyed. I now major in International Studies with a minor in Sustainability, Energy, and the Environment, and after the first year, I have done better than I ever did in school before. Prior to this transition, I didn’t think it was possible to enjoy learning new things the way I do now. Even now that I am on break, I am looking forward to going back to school and learning more about the subjects pertaining to my major. The only negative part of me changing is that I wish I had done it sooner. I can’t help but think about the decision I made three years ago to do nothing about the problem and hope that one day future me would be okay with it. I also can’t help but worry that there are other people out there, currently living a life that they don’t want to, with the assumptions that they will eventually be happy with the result.

If I could speak to my past self I would say: There are some things you can put off but your happiness shouldn’t be one of them. If there’s something you’re passionate about, chase after it before it is too late. People can advise you on how you should live your life with the best intentions, but at the of the day, it is you that must live that life. Whether it may be school or work, whatever you do, it should be an expression of your true interests and desires. It should be an expression of you. And if you really love what you do, you will find success in it.

So if you are currently unhappy with the path that you're going down and wish you could change it, my question to you is: What are you waiting for?