For the majority of my life, I've been told about all the things I can't do. I can't be top of my class, I can't play a certain sport because I'm not good enough, I can't date a boy because "he's out of my league", or I can't be friends with a person of the opposite sex without being classified as partners.

After many years of being told what I can't do, I actually started to think that I couldn't do anything. This made me wonder, what can I do then? Can I just be mediocre, that I can try as hard as I want, but it may never get noticed because it's not "the best." All my life I've been striving for perfection, but what if that isn't what I'm made to be?

When I came to college, I had a hard time adjusting to a new environment. I had so many "what if" questions it caused me to become so obsessed with being perfect that I lost sight on why I was there and who I was supposed to be. I've never had an easy time making friends, and living in a dorm with a bunch of people I did not know was one of the scariest things I had ever done, but little did I know it would end up being the best things that ended up happening to me.

My friends ended up being my saving grace and it helped me to realize that it is okay to have insecurities and doubts about what I do and that having questions about problems are the time where you grow the most. Sometimes you have to teach yourself step by step the processes of problem-solving and when you feel as though you can't solve it, it's perfectly okay to ask for help.

I never thought I could do anything, but when I started working by myself and knowing when to ask for help are the times when I realized something: I can do it.

This realization made me wonder: what if I hadn't listened to all those people many years ago telling me I can't do anything and constantly bringing me down, where would I be now? Would I still be the same person or still gone to the same college?

These questions come and go from time to time, but then I realize that my life is made of the past experiences and the people that have influenced me. Could I have tried a little harder in the past, sure but I don't think I would be as driven or as hardworking as I am today.

Not only that, but I would not have made the friends I have now and the fun and happiness all of them bring me daily. They're the people that help me realize that I CAN do it and that I CAN be the person I'm destined to be. Will I ever be perfect? No, but I can work hard to be the best person that I'm destined to be.

The world better watches out because I'm working harder, becoming stronger and not letting people tell me that I can't anymore because I CAN.