You start thinking about the question of, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" before you are even out of diapers. Now, when we are that young, you can't comprehend that question, but we play with toys and start forming who we are going to be when we get older. When we start high school, it becomes clear that we really have to start thinking about what we are going to do with our lives. How are we going to impact the world? How can I make a difference? These questions guide us into a point in our lives where we have to start making a plan. How are we going to get from Point A to Point B? Point A is graduating from high school. Point B is the place we are at in our lives where we think that we have succeeded.

Plans are meant to lead us down a path to where we want to end up as our life still progresses.

I had a plan. I have actually had many plans, most of which failed miserably. Anyway, I had a plan for my future. It was very well thought out. I wanted to graduate high school, well I did that. I planned to attend Judson College, and I am here. I wanted to graduate from Judson in three years. That immediately changed when I started college. I planned to major in chemistry and minor in math with the hopes of applying for pharmacy school. So I am a chemistry major. I was a math minor until that soon became a business minor. I will apply for pharmacy school, it will just take a couple more years to achieve that goal. I have a plan for when I want to get engaged, when I want to be married, and when I want to have kids. I have a plan for how many kids and how far apart I want them to be. This is my plan. This is what i aspire to be. I know one day majority of this will happen, but the timing might be a little off.

So let's talk about my plan for pharmacy school. I had planned four years to get my Bachelor's in chemistry, then move on to either Samford or Auburn to continue my education to become a pharmacist. Little did I know, my fourth semester here at Judson would make me question if I could still continue my desire to become a pharmacist. One day, I had to meet with my adviser. My GPA was too low to apply for pharmacy school, there was no way I would get in. So what was I going to do with my life? How does four years of my plan go down the toilet? Oh wait, I know how. I goofed off my freshman year of college. I was out of my house. I was out from under my parents' noses, and I took advantage of that. And it seriously messed up my life. So I spent this summer making a new plan. A plan where I strive harder, work harder, and sleep less. I am going to go to pharmacy school no matter how hard I have to try or how badly I want it. I will take a couple years, after getting my Bachelor's, to work, save money, and take some night classes in hopes of building my GPA back up. Whenever one door closes, another will open.

I want to reach a point in my life where I feel successful. I want to be an example- a role model. A question we often ask though is, "How do you determine success?" Success is defined differently depending on who you ask. If you poll 10 people of what they think success it, you are going to get 10 different answers, some of which may closely link with each other. Some people would define success as having lots of money with nice cars and nice clothes. Others might say a higher ranked job or even owning a well-paying company. Well my definition of success is different from both of those. I define success as someone who is a genuinely good-hearted person. A successful person is a role model for everyone but mostly the ones younger than said successful person. I want to have a well-paying job so I can give to charities or help those less fortunate. I know this sounds cliche, but it is the truth. I want to be kind, generous, and helpful. I never want to lose the big heart that I have.

So now we are back to plans. Plans don't usually work out. There will be bumps in this road that we call life. Are you going to go around them or go right over them? Life gets in the way, but never give up. Life gives you lemons when you asked for grapes, but you just have to make lemonade instead of grape juice. Change your perspective, and there is a chance it could change your whole life.

Be kind. Be bold. Be extraordinary.