I thought that the next four years of my life would be a one way party train of freedom, friends, and fun that would drop me off at the perfect (high salary) job in some far-off luxurious city after graduation day. Getting into college itself seemed like the sole invitation to getting everything I wanted out of life. All I had to do was sit (or sleep through) some classes before I would be jetsetting the world, going to illustrious parties, and spending most of my nights in fancy dresses drinking champagne with the rich and famous.
Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but to my narrow-minded 18 year old self, it seemed like graduating with a college degree was all I needed. But, I was wrong.
Yes, life is kind of like a party. It has it moments of buzzing exhilaration, and it also has it quiet lulls. It can be chaotic and it can be calm.
Two years and many jobs, internships, and organizations later, I can say that it definitely isn't as easy as the picture I had painted in my head prior to entering the (almost) real world that is college. And, while it isn't as easy, or as ideal and romantic at times, it is so much more than that.
As you grow up you realize that true happiness does not come from material items, fleeting feelings, or ease at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite.
True happiness, and truly growing to be an adult, is working with purpose each and every day towards a goal--working towards that eminent life that could actually be possible as a result of your own hard work and will to succeed. It is the pit you get in your stomach, after failing time and time over, when you finally get it right. It is late nights, lots of coffee, and lack of sleep. It is running around in circles until you're not really sure where you're headed anymore, but you know that you're going in the right direction.
As we run (as slowly as possible) towards the finish line that is the end of college and the beginning of the grown up world, I have become convinced of two things: most adults have just had more practice at hiding that a lot of the time they're running in just as many circles as us, and that you must work hard with drive, purpose, and passion in life in order to not just reach the finish line, but to come in first place.
It's you're life, and your decisions from here on out make it what it becomes--everything you do, say, and believe in will create what comes next. You can't just kick back and relax and pretend that it's going to be easy. It's not--growing up is really hard. But, if you wake up every morning with the desire to make it more beautiful and more meaningful than the last, and pursue each position with passion, you're well on you way.
Hold on tight and don't worry: you're doing a lot better than you think.
