Too often, we get so caught up in what we wish we would have done differently yesterday or what tomorrow will bring that we forget to enjoy the journey.

Personally, I have found myself going through the motions on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, just waiting for Friday and Saturday to finally come. When Sunday comes I start to dread Monday, and it is a never-ending cycle.

What I have realized is that when we do this, life passes us by very quickly. We shouldn’t waste today wishing for a different day. We should enjoy every day as it comes because every day can bring you joy. Even on Mondays, babies are being born, people are getting married, people are beating cancer. people are eating Luigi's (11/10 recommend! Best Italian restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa or possibly in the world), and so much more!

It’s so hard to stop stressing about the future. At a time in my life when I am supposed to be experiencing new things, finding who I am, and enjoying my life, I can't help but think about what my career will be or where I will live.

I am almost in my 20’s, an age where I thought I would have it all figured out. I don’t have a steady boyfriend, I have not declared a major, nor do I have any idea of what I want to major in, and it literally consumes me to the point I don’t even want to go to class or do anything.

I have thought about ‘taking a break’ from college on multiple occasions. Here I am, a freshman in college worrying about something that I have years to figure out, but I think we all have feelings of worry for the future and sometimes it consumes us.

We all have goals, and that’s not a bad thing—but stop letting your goals define you. If you're a perfectionist like me, you have probably felt extremely unsatisfied with yourself when your reality is not exactly what you had planned for.

This is what makes the journey worth it, though—there aren’t many movies that you can rewatch over and over because predictability is not entertainment… so why the heck do we get so upset when our life stops being predictable? It’s time we start finding the joy in this beautiful journey.

Somehow the past can be just as daunting as the future. We all have something in our past that we wish we would have done differently, something we would have said differently, or maybe not said at all, something we wish we would have given more effort to or maybe not given any effort to. We dwell on it so much that it starts to control our present day, and that is something we have to be aware of.

I find myself looking back at old pictures a lot (pro tip: don't). You will always come across that old friend and wonder where the heck you went wrong. You'll wonder how a relationship of such love and joy become a toxic one, or you'll try to look for the moment that you became bad for each other. You will blame yourself and try to figure out what you should have done differently, or how you could have saved the relationship.

The truth is that sometimes people aren’t meant to be in our lives forever; God has a plan, and even if it doesn’t make sense now, you will understand it someday—I promise. I am not saying to never make an effort today to build or rebuild relationships with others, but do not dwell in the past and beat yourself up for something you can not change—nothing good can come of it.

Instead, hold the people you have right now close to you, let them know how much you love and appreciate them.

Life has a funny way of always working itself out if you just trust the process. It feels silly that we let yesterday and tomorrow control our today. It may sound cliche, but the unsettling reality is that today could be your very last day.

Make the decision to live only in the present, to find joy in the journey, and to celebrate today for everything that it is. Spend today the way you would if you knew it was your last—overuse "I love you," take a risk, compliment a stranger, buy the expensive coffee, eat the ice cream, go to Luigi’s... do things that make you happy and do not fear for what tomorrow will bring.