"For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again."
-Eric Roth adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald
The past is gone, and tomorrow is near. What happens when you open your eyes and start to enjoy college?
When you live your life for tomorrow, you’re going to look back on your life with utter disappointment. That’s what happened to me.
About three months ago, someone asked me how my first two years of college had been. I started to go over the memories in my head, and that is when I realized I did not have many memories. I had many thoughts, fears, and worries. I had spent the past two years of my life planning and anticipating times to come. When someone asked me how my life had been going, I was frozen with disappointment.
If you’re like me, don’t worry, there is still hope. Realizing the trap that you are living in is the first step. The second step is to do something about it.
Going into my third year of college, I knew I had to make a complete 180 with my life.
Every day was and is an adventure. When things don’t go perfectly according to plan, it is OK. When something bad happens, just let it go. There is absolutely no use in stressing over something that has already happened. The amount of time I (and I am sure I am not the only one) have wasted just by over-analyzing things that are out of my control is mindblowing to me. We cannot change our past, we can only live for the present and prepare for the future.
When you are stuck in the past, your mind and your soul are not in today. If you’re not really here today, how can people around you become friends with you or fall in love with you? Ever since I decided to live in today and today only, I have been dumbfounded by the amount of love I have been receiving. All of my relationships have grown stronger. People want to be around happy and engaged people, and that’s what I have become this year.
I spent that last two years of my life stuck in the past. Although I do feel like I lost two years of life, I am ready now to make up for it. Here’s to making the next two years unforgettable.
Love today, and forget about the yesterdays. We have one life to live, and if you do it right, one is enough!
