Our whole future lies in our hands yet people think we're still too young to be taken seriously and too old to be looking for someone more adult in the room. You're 20 something and you're freaking out. What lies ahead is completely unknown. No matter how well you color coded your goal board or how perfectly you worded your resume, the future is unknown. And while some relish at the thought of a blank canvas, I quiver. Is the fear of the first brush stroke on canvas enough to stop you completely?
You know, I think the scariest part about growing up is looking back at the past. I mean, seriously, you think of all the things you've been through. The good, the bad and the ugly. You think of all the friendships you've made that you thought would withstand anything and the boy you thought you could never live without. You think of how long it took to graduate high school, and how short your first “adult” summer after that was. You think of moving away from home for the first time ever. You are counting down the days until you don’t have to live with your parents anymore. Think about it, from there on out things would never be the same. You would have the freedom to do whatever you want.
Now, you’re in college. The stress is building and the wrinkles are multiplying. You long for those once hated high school days. You would literally do anything to have your parents do your laundry and make you dinner again.
And then there’s those moments when you are in your dorm room, laptop open, another cup of coffee brewing in your keurig, and you look around and see how far you have come, how much you have accomplished and how hard you have worked to get to where you are. Maybe the scary part isn’t really that scary. Maybe we should stop worrying about growing up and worry more about who we are growing into.
Eleanor Roosevelt said “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,” so instead of fearing acceptance for the image that you may draw, focus on the beauty that you can create by simply starting.
