I began my senior year of high school the same way most do: applying to colleges and planning for the future based on where you go to school and get your degree. I spent my whole life planning to go to a big university one day. No matter what I wanted to be when I grew up, my life plan always followed the rigorous course of graduate high school, go to college, get my degree, and continue my life with a family and a successful career. So, when I impulsively decided to take a gap year, my friends and family were a little worried.

I had planned to take the year to save up money, do some traveling, apply to more colleges, "or whatever," as I would say. My boyfriend decided to take the year off with me, and as the summer after high school dragged on and we were watching our friends move away, we realized it was time for a new change of pace.

One day I sporadically started Googling a bunch of different cities across the country and if it would be practical to move there. Most of them were far too expensive for two eighteen-year-olds to move and live in. The only place that really seemed like we could make it work was Phoenix, Arizona. Surrounded by a beautiful desert landscape, palm trees everywhere, extremely affordable living costs, and the ocean just a short drive away, it sounded like the perfect place to pick up our lives from. So that's what we did.

He and I spent about four months working our butts off and planning out our move. We found our beautiful apartment complex online, we loaded up my tiny red Saturn with as much as it could hold, and we were off. We left Madison, Wisconsin in the dead of winter on January 8, 2019.

From getting to decorate my very first apartment, to finding a great job at the airport, getting to go on fun hikes with my boyfriend's dog, and everything in between, I have learned so much about myself than ever before. I learned that I have the power to decide my path in life. I spent years feeling sorry for myself. I spent so long wishing I was a different person or wishing my family had more money and that if I just complained about it and looked for pity, that my wishes would come true. They never did.

Moving from Wisconsin to Arizona showed me that there is no feeling sorry for yourself in the real world. Your path in life is a result of the choices you have made in the past, and there is no room to be making decisions based off of the victimization in your own mind. The demons that have held you back in life will follow you everywhere if you let them take hold of your goals. I took the fact that I had to pay for college by myself from something that made me bitter and unhopeful to something that I would use to propel myself into work and a better outlook on life. I removed all of the negativity from my mindset regarding my decision to not go to college and use the time to do something that not many people my age can say they did – moving across the country with a dog and your partner so you can all set up a new beginning for yourself.

So, I challenge anyone reading this to follow your passion. To do something crazy. To work as hard as you possibly can at your goals in life and allowing your mind to leave the monsters that have haunted you in the past. Use your fears to drive motivation into your everyday work, so you can prove to everyone else around you that you are capable of anything. If you feel like you are stuck in a rut, or you are not living to your true potential, then step out of your element. Think about it like this: if a plant outgrows the pot it's in, then the plant cannot grow to be the most beautiful plant it is destined to be. Once you move the plant to a new pot, you will see thrive and flourish. You must step out of your comfort zone to achieve personal goals and growth. Life is too short to not live to your fullest potential. You never know what amazing things are waiting for you.