When transitioning from high school into college, some people go at it with a super drawn-out life plan. When I say super drawn-out, I mean these people have a timeline of what events will happen during what month of what year, and what they will be wearing when it happens.

Now that may sound a little crazy, but I was one of those people. I came into college thinking I had everything figured out. I knew what I would major in, I knew how long it would take to get my degree, I knew who I would live with, what clubs and organizations I would join, and I even thought I knew who I was going to marry and have kids with by age 26. I thought I knew EVERYTHING.

Boy, was I wrong.

I’m sure you can see where this is going. My major is not the same one I came into college with, I did not end up joining any of those clubs I had written into my life plan, I do not live with any of the people I lived with during my first semester, and in order to get married, I would probably need to be dating someone, right? You’re probably thinking, “Wow, this girl’s life is a complete mess.” Of course that’s what you’re thinking, but honestly, I think I am happier now than I have ever been.

No, I’m not going to be a nurse. No, I’m not in the most prestigious clubs on campus, and no, I am not going to marry the high school sweetheart that I was once so sure about. But I do hold a position in my organization, Zeta Tau Alpha. I am on the Homecoming Committee for my school. I have made amazing friendships with people who I could not imagine living without, and most importantly, I have learned more about myself and about life in the last year than I ever thought possible. I want you to know:

• It is OKAY to not be sure about your future. We are young, and to be honest, we are still changing and figuring out who we are. What you enjoy and like today can turn into something you hate in ten years. You will probably change your major three times, if not more, before you finally find one that is best for you, and that is okay.
  
  
• There is a reason for those scary statistics about your “first love.” Trust me when I say that not every first love is meant to be, and that is coming from somebody who dated the same person for six years before they realized it wasn’t meant to be. I think you try so much harder with your first love because you want to beat the statistic. You want to tell your kids stories about how you have known they were the one since high school. That sounds great, but how can you know that they are the right person if they are the only person you have ever been with? If you’re not happy, then what’s the point? You become aware of things that used to not matter in your relationship and are now the most important part, and you may be in denial that it’s actually over and stay way longer than you should. Oh, and by the way, people change and grow up, so if you met them when you were 13 and still click when you’re 20, then props to you.
  
  
• Doing things for yourself does not make you selfish. I was the person who lived my life trying to be what other people wanted me to be, and I lost who I was in the process. I had to take a step back and just think, “Does this make me happy?” If you ask yourself this, and it doesn’t, then something has to change. I wasn’t always able to do that, and college has really helped me fight for myself and my happiness. You have to make yourself happy, because if you always depend on other people or materialistic things to do it, you will always find yourself disappointed.

These things showed me that my life is not a huge mess, and it is completely okay that it isn’t going as planned. None of us can tell the future, and I think people focus so much on their life down the road that they forget to make themselves happy right now. I thought I had it all figured out, but when I look back now, my life is so different from what I thought it would be. I also look back and am so glad that it is. I have no idea what my future holds, but the mystery in it makes me that much more excited.

I can honestly say that my life not going as planned is the best thing to happen to me.