There comes a time in your life when you realize you deserve better than what you have. You want to be in the best choir, make more friends, join more clubs, and be a part of something that makes this year one million times better than last year. So you make your schedule, talk to new people, go to every social event you can, and begin forming the best version of yourself that you can be. As scary as it might seem, I’ve realized that it’s incredibly beneficial.
College showcased the all-encompassing reality of “risking it all”. As an incredibly introverted, and a relatively (extremely) shy person, I found the first couple weeks of college terrifying and completely out of my comfort zone. Everything is thrown at you immediately. You need to know how to study for classes, where everything is located on campus, how to make friends and what sort of events are going on that week. What they don’t tell you is that as a new person coming in, you need to risk a lot to figure out where you belong on your campus.
In high school, I didn’t have to be outgoing. I had my set group of friends that I hung out with every day, and that was that. We did everything together and didn’t worry about what other people were occupied with. However, college is incredibly different than high school. You’re pushed into a new environment filled with thousands of new faces and people you’ve never met before. For me, risking it all involved introducing myself to new people, being myself and trying to get my feet on the ground. Building relationships, forming bonds and making friends is a huge aspect to being successful in any undergraduate study you do, and I realized that.
However, your version of risking it all might be trying out a new sport, or joining a club that none of you friends are involved in. Maybe you want to take up a theater class because it looks interesting or ask a small group of people if you can sit with them at lunch. Try out that new hobby that you’re genuinely interested in, and take a shot at doing something completely out of your comfort zone. Whether you decide to make a huge change to your major, or a tiny gesture to bring kindness into someone’s day, you’re making a difference. However small or big the risk, it will most certainly pay off in the long run.
By risking it all, I’ve formed a better version of myself. I’m no longer afraid to introduce myself to new people, and I’ve managed to get myself through freshman year (a feat in and of itself). I’ve realized that anything is possible if you take little risks here and there. How would you know if there’s something amazing for you waiting just around the corner unless you take the few extra steps to see it?
