"Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling but start. Start and don't stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just...start."

I think more often than not we have an idea in our head of what we want to go after, but we shuffle through our filing cabinet of excuses and inevitably don't go after it. Maybe it's because we're scared. Maybe we're tired. Maybe we're busy. But none of those things should stop us.

I look at it like this:
If I decide that I want something, I marinate on it for 24 hours. If I'm still thinking about it after 24 hours, I marinate on it some more. If after 48 hours it's still on my mind, it's time to go to work. I went through all of this when I was thinking about starting my first blog. I always felt like I had so much to say but nowhere to say it. My friends don't want to hear me talk constantly, and being away at college, my parents aren't right down the hall to listen to me when I have something to say. So, writing it all down was the answer. I have been thinking about doing this sort of thing for a couple years now, and one day it just sort of clicked; just do it (thanks Nike). I believe that if you're thinking about something often, you really want it. So why should that scare you and cause you to find any and every reason to not go after it? It should excite you. You found something that lights up your being. You found something that pulls you out of bed every morning. You found something that makes you smile.

Fear is debilitating, but overcoming it is empowering.

I know this is easier said than done, but the most important things in life usually are. It’s not easy maintaining a healthy relationship with family members all the time. It’s not easy making friends. It’s not easy getting into college. It’s not easy getting a job. It’s not easy keeping a relationship with your significant other. But just because these things aren’t easy, doesn’t mean we should not do them.

Fight for what you want and never settle. You deserve the very best.

When I went through the Greek life rush process during my freshman year of college, someone told me “you will get out of a sorority whatever you put into it”. This has stuck with me and I find it to be true about pretty much anything. You will get out of life what you put into it. If you neglect something that you want or even need, you’re not going to get anywhere. If you go after it, there’s a chance you’ll fail. But don’t let that stop you. Pick yourself up and try again. Imagine actually getting what you go after. Trust me...its worth it.

Just start.