"I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

--John 16:33

Don't worry, you don't need to be religious to get something out of this article.

We've all been there- 8 a.m. on a Monday morning, still half asleep and staring down at a test that we know between nada and zero answers to. It's a terrible feeling, right? But here's the thing- even if you expect to get a zero, you're sure to get some answers right. We, as people (and especially college and high school students!) underestimate ourselves too often. Right now, I'm picturing myself glaring at a multiple choice final that looked more like the textbook I dropped 200 bucks on. I read the first question, immediately choose an answer I know is right, then erase it, groan, and read the question again. After a solid five minutes, I finally pick some other answer that sounds scientific and move on. When the test comes back, I find out my first guess was right. Sound familiar?

I'll always remember the moment in Ned's Declassified (that old show on Nick where Cookie invented Google Glass ten years before they did) where Principal Wright says to the kids "Always trust your first instinct. Your first one." Even back then, I could tell that this was important. Your mind is magnificently designed to keep you moving and thinking as efficiently as possible. Your brain responds to stressors rapidly to make split-second decisions that could mean life or death, eating or going hungry, or, in our case, an A or a big fat F on that test. So when you're scanning those multiple choice answers, and one practically leaps off the page at you, that's your subconscious mind telling you that that's the right choice. So have a little faith in yourself. You're smarter than you give yourself credit for.

Believing in yourself is only one part of what I'm trying to get across to you. Everyone needs some outside reassurance once in a while. Nearly every successful person in history has had a team around them in some way or another. Take a moment to think about who that is in your life- the people who you know will never let you down. It's a wonderful thing to have those people in your life, isn't it? And if you don't have those people, go find somewhere to share your faith. It may be God, a trusted coach, a group of friends... it doesn't really matter. What matters is that these people know your heart -often better than you know it yourself- and want what's best for you. These people are absolutely vital to your success. They're the ones who are going to help you up after your worst mistakes, and the first ones you call in your happiest moments. So put yourself out there, and have faith that they will be with you through every high and low in your life.

Now that we believe in ourselves, and we've found our team, what next? Well, we can take this further. Think of that fire deep in your heart- the thing that makes you jump out of bed each morning with a smile on your face. For some of you, it may be a blazing inferno, where everyone can see that you're doing great things. For others, it may be a tiny spark that only you know about, and only you can see the beauty your future holds. And that's okay. Believe in yourself. Trust that you can be everything you say you'll be. Those of you that know me on a personal level know that strength has always been my passion. What really drew me to strength sports is that world records are being set by all kinds of people- big and small, young and old. The bottom line is that everyone has the ability to become stronger. It doesn't matter where you came from, or when you started. All it takes to be successful is hard work and relentless dedication. I believe that this is true for many other things in life as well- in school, at work, in your relationships. If you put in time and effort, you can do wonderful things. But who am I to be telling you this? Deep down inside, you've always known you were born to be great.

Let me say that again, in case you didn't catch it the first time. You were born to be great. And once you believe that about yourself, every difficult moment now has meaning. Those nights you stayed up until 3 a.m. studying for a test at 8? They brought you closer to saving lives in the hospital you'd come to work in. The countless hours you spent brainstorming ideas for that engineering project? Those would lead to you inventing a product that would change the world. And the nights you stayed awake talking to God, trying to figure out your purpose in life? That helped you know the exact words that lonely teenager needed to hear to make it through the day. All the things you've experienced, good and bad, helped to shape you into the person that God wants you to be. The version of you that we need.

So go ahead and finish that bag of M&Ms. Watch another episode of The Office. Smack that snooze button like there's no tomorrow. Do whatever you need so that you're ready for the next opportunity to be your best, and believe that you can and will achieve your purpose in life.

Hang in there. Keep working hard. Have faith in yourself. The world needs you.