Here is a story about a young woman's realization in regards to her life and her responsibilities. Let's call this young woman Jill.

So Jill knows she loves to read and write. She's written fiction and read for fun for as long as she can remember. It's in her blood. That being said, it is no surprise that Jill chose to become and English major when she went to college. And since she's always been a pretty good student and enjoys learning and academic communities, she also decided to apply to the Honors program. And she got in! Yay Jill!

On the first day of Freshman year, Jill goes to her Honors FYS class called Faith Doubt and Reason. She loves it. The people are fantastic, the professor is an angel sent from Heaven above, and the material is interesting and thought-provoking. They read Plato and Voltaire and Descartes, and Jill soaks it all in. One day Jill decides to declare a Philosophy minor because she's been listening to Alan Watts and reading all these philosophical texts for class, and she knows she enjoys asking big questions. She declares a Philosophy minor on a warm weekday afternoon. The deed is done.

Now, when second semester rolls around, Jill wants to take a Philosophy course. So she signs up for a required 200-level Philosophy class and anxiously awaits the first day. However, by the second week, Jill is not as pleased as she had hoped. While the material is interesting and the professor is nice and the people are respectful and intelligent, Jill isn't excited about it. She thought she'd be thrilled to go to class and ask bigs questions, questions the size of the universe or even bigger, but that is not what she did.

Regardless, Jill perseveres and finishes the year with an A- in the class. And proceeds to schedule her fall semester schedule, complete with a 300-level Philosophy class focused around literature. Because Jill loves to read, she thought this particular Philosophy class would be right up her alley! So she goes to class on the first day, patiently awaits the arrival of the professor, and gets out her notebook, ready to ask some big questions. When the class begins, Jill is disappointed yet again. The professor is wonderful, the students are exceptional, and the material seems interesting. But Jill is still not excited.

So Jill goes home that day and puts her Philosophy homework aside, for she does not want to be reminded of her disappointment. She does all her other homework that weekend, saving Philosophy for last. That Sunday afternoon, Jill and her friend are sitting at a little table in a coffee shop, working on their assignments, when Jill has an epiphany. She stops what she's doing and looks at her friend with wide eyes. Let's call this friend Pam. "Pam," she says, "I don't have to keep my philosophy minor!" Pam gives Jill a funny look. "What?" says Pam. Jill leans closer, her tone full of enthusiasm. "There is no rule book, no binding contract, no funds or scholarships to be lost. I thought I wanted to pursue Philosophy because I like to ask big questions, but now that I've attended two philosophy classes, I realize it's just not for me. I can still love Philosophy, and I can still ask big questions, but this responsibility I've placed upon myself of meeting all these extra requirements to fulfill a minor I don't desire is not necessary! I am free!" Pam looks at Jill and smiles. "You are free!" she rejoices.

Jill then excitedly emails a few magical people who wave their wands and remove this extra weight from her shoulders. She decides she will fill this time with other classes that excite her, even if they don't count toward anything other than mere credits. Therefore, she enrolls in Screenwriting because she's experimented with it before and she knows it is something that excites her.

I told you this story because I am Jill, and I didn't even know what I was doing until a few days ago. I was putting extra pressure on myself that needn't be there. I was forcing myself to go to classes and do homework and write papers about things that didn't interest me as much as other things. And I kept feeding this monster that was this unnecessary responsibility because I thought I had to. Because I had declared that I would pursue a Philosophy minor, I thought I had to do everything in my power to actually pursue it. But that's not the case. This is college. You have the freedom to do what your heart desires. You do not need to give yourself extra responsibilities to feel successful or worthy. And I'm not just talking about academic responsibilities. We can give ourselves so many rules and expect so much of ourselves that we do things we don't want to do just because we think we should. But, in regards to your life, you are behind the wheel, you call the shots, you have the pen. I know it's unrealistic to tell you to only do what you love, but maybe this request is a little more realistic: replace something in your life that you don't enjoy with something you do enjoy. It can be as small as getting rid of a T-shirt you never wear and filling that space in your drawer with a new one. Or it can be as big as moving from a city you dislike to one you've always dreamed of living in. You have the power to make changes in your life. Live long and prosper...if you so choose.