Over my next couple articles I am hoping to do a series on lessons I am learning over the summer. Inspiration for these articles are coming from readings, podcasts, and day to day life! Thank you readers, I hope you enjoy!

Today I received a bill for my summer Calculus class that I am taking over the summer. I thought that it was strange because I had already paid a bill at the beginning of the summer for my class. I don't like owing people money so of course I started looking into what was going on. After a little bit of digging in the 15 minutes I had before my class began I discovered during the process of my student status being transferred from one campus to another I had not been removed from one of the classes at the campus closer to my house. When I was first dealing with this at the begging of the summer I was assured that my student status was only at the campus further from my house and that everything was taken care of. But there I was, sitting down in my Calculus class, and apparently 55 miles away another Rachel was also sitting down in a Calculus class.

All of this is to say, if there is something that you think needs to happen you should stand up and make that thing happen. Everyone has their list of things that they think are important and things that should get done. I am not saying that other people don't care about what you think is important, I am just saying each individual has their own list of priorities. You've got to do the heavy lifting yourself for the things that are really important to you. That makes them all the more rewarding! Of course, reach out and accept help when others offer but I think it is also important to remember the road to success can be a lonely road sometimes.

I encourage you to take initiative and own that priority in your life. It is obviously carrying some weight in your mind if you have classified it as a priority. While you are at it take a minute to break down why what you are doing is important. Is it a stepping stone to something larger? What will it help you accomplish? Why is it actually important? What is the motivation behind you doing it? What could be some of the consequences if this priority is not accomplished?

On my daily commute back and forth to my math class (a total of two hours in the car each day) I have been listening to a lot of podcasts. One in particular, The Moth, is a collection of people telling their stories. These stories have made me laugh, cry, and really think. These podcasts have not only pushed me to tackle my own priorities, but also really encouraged me to pursue my dreams. Pursuing your dreams doesn't just happen over night. It happens day by day, accomplishing one priority at at time.