Throughout my time on this planet called Earth, I have been given many pieces of advice and told what to do and how to do it. I get it, I'm young and everyone wants to influence me.

Please though, let me live.

I want to experience life on my own. I know sound naive or innocent saying this, but that's because I am. I'm only nineteen when I write this, and I don't know what the future looks like.

I want to make mistakes. I want to get hurt, I want to fail, I want to feel rejection and then be able to learn from it.

I want to make discoveries. I want to get out of my comfort zone. I want to get out in the real world. I don't just want to ignorantly exist, I want to live!

I am so tired of having everyone telling me their opinion on my life. I want to be able to travel the world. I want to see what humankind has to offer. I want to be able to live without anxiety of what people back home might think. I don't want to read about how I should be doing in college or what I should be looking for in a job. I want to set my own goals, then achieve them.

If I want help I'll ask. The unsolicited advice is what bothers me the most. I am aware people want to have a positive influence on others. However, that doesn't give you the right to start lecturing others on how they should live. That's why I'll say this again: If I want help, I'll ask.

I want to be independent. I want to get out! There is so much I have not experienced that I want to. I have so much life ahead of me I want to be able to live without being scolded about what I might do or what ideas I think about.

I was shown an old movie, Trainspotting, which was released in 1996. While the premise is dark (I would advise you to watch it on your own time) the main character, Mark Renton, performs a great monologue. It goes a little something like this:

"Choose a life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family.... Choose your future."

I want to choose my future. I want to go out and live the life I want to live.

I choose life.