Since getting to college, so much has changed. One of the scariest changes I've experienced is the feeling that life is passing me by at an alarming rate and I'm sitting through it. Recently, I've been struggling with how to "take charge of my life". I want to maximize my time and live my life to the fullest.

So far, I've come to the realization that there is no one thing I can do to change this. Rather, there are a series of lifestyle or thought changes I need to implement so that I don't look up from my phone one day and realize that I'm 70 and my whole life has gone by. The first change in this series came to me when I was getting ready to go on a road trip this past weekend. I told myself that I was going to attempt to be 100% in the moment all weekend. This is hard for me because I am a planner. I get a rush from being productive, I always want to be getting something done and I'm usually multitasking.

At the beginning of the trip, I told this to one of my friends. She agreed and says that she does the same. Then she gave me the unusual analogy that you should always take your shoes and coat off when doing the dishes. This was a metaphor for giving yourself to what you're doing 100%. You get out what you put in, which may seem trivial when it comes to the little things like dishwashing and vacuuming, but it all adds up. Once she said this it got me thinking. I focused on immersing myself in and fully experiencing every moment I was a part of that weekend.

Honestly, that made a huge difference. When someone was talking to me, I put my phone away, made eye contact, and really listened to what they had to say, hoping to learn something. It's hard to remember to slow down, especially in such a fast-paced lifestyle with a brain that is wired to constantly be focused on the next thing. However, I think that focusing on the now was part of what made me experience so memorable and great last weekend. It is a technique I hope to keep implementing and practicing and who knows where it will end up taking me.