My favorite quote of all time is a quote by Ayn Rand:
If you knew me, you would know that this is my motto in life. Some of my friends would joke and say that my true calling was to be a motivational speaker for Nike.
“You want to get straight A’s?? Just do it! Don’t let anyone stop you! Just study hard!”
“You don’t like your job??? Get a new one! Just do it! Make a wish list and start applying!”
“When there is a will, there is a way! Just do it!”
All of these lines have left my mouth at one time or another, and even right now if a friend told me that they wanted to be president I would tell them to go after that dream. Until now, I never would have thought to stop and ask them the question “While that is what you want to do, do you think that’s what you’re meant to do at this moment?”
The reason Ayn Rand sings the anthem to my life is because I have always done everything in my power to be independent. Thus, moving into the dorms my freshman year of college and gaining the independence of living on my own was a dream come true; however, my parents warned me not to live with my head in the clouds for too long. After freshman year if I wanted to continue to live on my own I would have to financially support myself. This didn’t come as a shock or a concern. I knew that I would find a way. Immediately I fell in love with the idea of becoming an R.A (Resident Assistant). The perfect plan I thought. I would be able to stay on campus and work at a job I’m passionate about! Therefore, I set out on all the right steps to become an R.A. Despite my best effort, come April I learned that I didn’t receive the R.A. position and that life had other plans in store. I’ll admit, I was sad, but my motivational, “Just do it,” self wasn’t going to stay down for long. I immediately started putting a plan together so I wouldn’t have to move back home. Sure, my plan would have drained all my savings, and I would have to work more hours, and my roommates would be girls I had just met, but I wasn’t going to let anything steal my independence.
Then as the summer progressed, and the more I thought of it, I realized that life was calling me to go back home. Some people would describe this feeling as a “hunch,” some call it intuition, while others might refer to it as God speaking to them. Regardless of what you call it, it’s the type of message that can easily be ignored if you choose to. As much as I didn’t want to listen because it was not the plan that I had in store for me, I did. Reluctantly, I told my parents I was going to move back in for the fall. They asked me why and if I had plans to move out in the spring, but honestly I had no answer. For the first time in a long time, I had no plan and no answer. I find that college students have this subconscious pressure to have all of life’s answer, but maybe having no answer is the answer. We’re really good at speaking our mind, but when is the last time we listened? As soon as I admitted I didn’t have the answers and stepped into where life was directing me everything fell into place. Life handed me a new plan through everyday actions. It was as if I was given glasses to see my path, and I can confidently say that my new vision was not one I could have created on my own. Maybe moving out isn’t your goal right now. Maybe it’s deciding what major you want to be, or what school you should attend in the fall. Regardless, as you make these decisions never let anyone stop you from success, but don’t sabotage yourself. Don’t ignore the plan that life will provide you. Sometimes having no answer, is the right answer: Sit still and listen. Then when you hear Life calling, find the courage inside yourself to follow your path. As Ayn Rand stated, “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.”
