I was in Starbucks a couple days ago with my friends and as we were reminiscing over our first year in college, I told them "yeah it's crazy time is flying by so fast. I'm turning 20 in March."

Immediate regret flooded my system. As soon as those words left my mouth I could feel the discomfort, the anxiety, and the fear slowly beginning to drown us. We were growing up. In only nine short months, I'd be turning 20 and will no longer be a teenager.

I never thought I would really feel like this. For so long I've been rooting for 20, chanting, screaming for it to come as fast as it can. When I first learned to ride a bike, I craved to learn how to drive. There are so many moments where I crave to do something more that I could really only achieve when I was older. Now that I'm here, I just want it to stop. I know that growing up is inevitable, but looking around me everything is hurtling past me and I can't get anything to slow down. It seems like we are constantly running. Always running away from the start trying so hard to reach the finish line, but not enjoying the journey.

This Starbucks trip allowed me to take a step back and think about what I've done, what I need to do, and what I want to do. Three important questions that I believe shape how our lives turn out. What's in the past is in the past, but recollecting about the memories along with the mistakes can help build a brighter future. Those three questions all branch off into three more questions. Who do we want involved, how do we want to accomplish things, and why are we doing it? The who, how, and why are more important than the what's. The 'what if's consume us. We constantly wonder what we could've done, what we should've done, rather than focusing on what did we do and how we can build off of that. I believe the who, how, and why create for a strong foundation for anyone's life.

The who: there are friends that you're going to stay friends with for all of your life. There are pictures of you all when you were little at your Hawaiian Luau birthday party and you're all wearing leis smashing the piñata in. Then as you grow up sometimes the groups change. But you still have those core people that stick with you till graduation and into college. You'll all meet up during the summer, gather around the bonfires, and talk about how your year at college went. You'll tell everyone about all the crazy nights you had that you'll never forget. You'll wish that they were there to spend those times with you, but they had adventures of their own that you are just as intrigued with. These are the good times, but we don't realize how fast they can go. Soon enough friends start settling down. They move for their job, they fall in love, and they have kids. What used to be weekly hang out sessions turns into sit down dinners a couple times a year. We don't realize how fast things can change. How quick people can go. So, we need to appreciate the time we have and take every opportunity that's given to us. Get out of your bed and go on that hike with your friends. Go out to dinner with them. Spend as much time with the people you love now because soon enough you're going to be just as busy as everyone else.

The how: figuring out how you want to solve problems, fix mistakes, handle situations, and accomplish your goals is extremely important. It's not easy. There are so many times where we just yearn to fix, to solve, and to accomplish that we forget about the work it takes to get there. How are you achieving your goals? Are you tearing other people down? Are you sticking up for what you believe in? You need to stay true to yourself with everything that you do, so you don't lose yourself along the way. You will make it far by being you and sticking up for you. Someone once told me that you if you have something to say that you can't hold in because you believe it's that important then it deserves to be heard. If the people that hear it don't like it then they aren't the people you should be surrounding yourself with.

The why: I know a lot of people that are picking their majors because they know that there is a job lined up for them down the road. Even if they hate what they are doing, they know they will be making money, will soon pay off their loans, and will have a steady job in the future. Why should someone put themselves through suffering of classes they hate and internships they hate to eventually have a steady job that they also hate? I get it. Money is important. If you don't make money, you're screwed. That's what we think. But, if you have a passion for something why aren't you following it? If you truly are passionate about that thing then you will do anything you can to be successful at it. A lot of people in life will ask you what you are doing after college? The more important question is why are you doing what you're doing? Stick to the things you love because not only will it benefit you, but it can benefit others as well.

I know it's sappy and I'm usually not the person to go on a rampage, but this is the most important time in my life. I finally realize that. This is the time where I can make mistakes, where I can have a good time, where I can go crazy, and where I can experiment with what I want. These are the deciding years and although I'm letting go of my teenage years, I know that my twenties are going to bring on many more crazy adventures than my 13-year-old self could imagine. So with that I say, bring on March.