"Embrace the glorious mess that you are." — Elizabeth Gilbert

For most of us, we spend our whole life dreaming about what we'll be when we grow up and wishing for the future. Now that we're finally at the point in our lives to make our dreams a reality, we find our selves confused as hell.

So why is that?

Well, like all things in life, it's a lot easier said than done.

When we're little everyone around us was constantly saying how "the sky's the limit," and "the world's our oyster," so there's a lot of pressure to turn all of that potential into something great.

Pressure from our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, and gossipy moms of the neighborhood, but more than anything pressure from ourselves. We've built so much up in our head about what our life is going to be like, how amazing everything will be and now we're at the pivotal point where we can make or break our dreams.

Whatever happens next, there will be no one else to blame but ourselves, and that's a scary thought.

If there's anything I've learned from my mere twenty years of navigating through the ups and downs of this crazy life, it's that not everything will go according to plan. You don't know what lies ahead, and the truth is you won't always be ready for it, but if you stay frozen in fear as the rest of the world keeps moving forward, you'll be left behind.

Take the leap of faith always, and figure the rest out as you go.

You will experience setbacks and failures, Lord knows I have, but you'll grow from every misstep and bad decision, and you'll learn, and you'll do things differently the next time.

I believe everything happens for a reason, but I also believe that you have a hand in the things that happen.

Life is a series of diverging roads, chose your path wisely, but remind yourself that even if you take the wrong turn you'll still get to where you're going, it might just take a little longer.

It's OK to change your mind along the way and start all over again because life is about the journey, not the destination.

A wise woman once sang...

"There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb" — Miley Cyrus / Hannah Montana circa 2009

So take it one day at a time, keep that fire inside of you burning, and don't be afraid to chase your dreams.

Even as we enter adulthood and stop believing in basically everything, it's important to never stop believing in ourselves.

You got this, I believe in you, now go make your dreams come true.