This article is more of a call out post for myself, but also a general push for anyone reading who has been hesitating to reach for their desires.

I have always acted as a passive bystander in my own story. I let things happen to me rather than taking actions into my own hands. I loved to complain about my problems, but never acted to change the things that bothered me. Coming to college acted as a wake up call. I realized that it was time for me to take control of my friendships, relationships, and goals. It's more difficult for me to complain about the lack of friends I've made when I realized that I haven't put in the effort to maintain the potential relationships I could have with people.

As any of my poor roommates could tell you, I love to complain about my romantic life, yet I never seem to take the initiative. I spend hours worrying about the consequences of any future possible actions rather than just going for it. Life is short and while messaging the person you like or reaching out to make new friends may seem frightening, if things don't work out, you're bound to have forgotten the moment by senior year. However, if you take a risk, you could potentially gain a wonderful fixture in your life.

This all leads me to the question - what are we so afraid of? Is our fear of rejection worth the potential gain that could come about from our actions? While I'm a firm believer of letting things happen by chance, there are times when we need to take our lives into our own hands. To stop passively watching time go by. While we cannot control everything in our lives, once you take over the aspects that you can, life becomes easier. You'll never know what can happen unless you try. I sound like a high school teacher telling you to follow your dreams, but maybe there's some truth to what they had to say.

Go out and write your own tale, don't just be a character lost in the story of life.