Risk-taking can be a double-edged sword--it either ends in success or failure. You don't know what the outcome will be, and that can be absolutely terrifying. It's like deciding where to go at a fork in the road or being blindfolded. Fear of the unknown can be paralyzing, but it also is exhilarating. Waking up each morning and not knowing what's going to happen next is life's ultimate gift. With that being said, life's too short to not try something new.

Regardless of what the risk is, it is better to have tried to step out of your comfort zone than to stay in it. It can lead to some amazing experiences and people, or it can be a lesson learned. Personally, I believe it is better to have tried than wasting my time regretting not trying. Take the big leap of faith because you don't know when the chance will come again. Time, although it is a made-up notion by humans, is precious. Make each and every decision count.

Make the move across the country that you've planned for years. Join the organization, club, or sports team that you've been yearning to be part of. Travel to your dream destination. Take the promotion that you've worked so hard for. Date the person that you have been dying to be with. Attend your number one pick of universities. Smile and give compliments to strangers. Adopt the dog or cat. Buy the outfit or get the haircut. We were put on this earth to live, not to sit back and wait for something good to happen. Take the initiative because there is nothing to lose. In fact, there is so much that can be gained.

I have been petrified of risk-taking for practically all my life until now. I would wish to do things or be friends with certain people, but by the time I decided I wanted to, it was too late. I decided to move away from my hometown where I lived for 17 years to attend Michigan State University. I decided to be outgoing, which is the complete opposite of who I used to be. I decided to join a sorority, and I got a support system and a family. I decided to think more selflessly, and I made a difference in other people's lives. I decided to sit next to a completely random person in class, and ended up having a best friend. I decided to go to school hockey games with a friend from class, and I now have another best friend and a future roommate. I decided to let myself not be so closed off to the possibility of love; it's okay to let that part of life unfold on its own.

Was I unsure before I made these decisions? Absolutely. The anxiety of not knowing how each situation would work out was eating at me each day, but everything worked out. Risk-taking is a beautiful thing. It can change your life and transform it right before your eyes. Life will show you its beauty if you let it. Take the risk. Once your risk succeeds, take one more, then another, and another. Never stop being adventurous and letting life unfold in front of you.