Recently, I was asked what advice I would tell my freshmen self. I pondered how I would answer this question, and I came up with a few answers: get involved, make time for fun, spend time studying, make time to call home and so on. However, all of those things are rather basic; I mean, I figured them out in my first semester. To truly answer this question, I pushed myself to think of something that I continually struggle with.
So, two of the biggest things I have always been afraid of are failure and rejection. I often find myself picking the safest option, the one that doesn't seem risky or scary. Then when I pick the option that is a little out there or seems risky, I almost worry myself to death. What a life: never taking risks, always playing it safe. And on the off chance I do take a risk, it worries me so much it makes me sick.
My advice to myself (and everyone really) would be to "shoot your shot; you only get to do this college thing once, so don’t be afraid to take chances--if you get rejected, it’s not the end of the world."
I spend way to much time trying to avoid failure and rejection when, in all reality, those two things are some of the biggest motivators. After all, doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. You have to be able to put yourself out there. Otherwise, you're always going to be stuck with a "what if". Yes, rejection and failure suck majorly, but you can't grow if you never learn that you need to fix something. In the same sense, you will always be stuck in that same rut if you never learn that you should actually pursue something else.
So don't be afraid to shoot your shot. Put yourself out there. Take risks, send the risky message, tell people how you feel, and don't be afraid to try new things. If you fail or get rejected, that's OK! Use that as your motivation to get better, to pursue better things and become the best you possible. I promise that when you look back, you are going to wish that you had taken that chance that you passed up because you were scared. Also, remember that it's okay to be scared because being scared means you are about to do something really, really brave.
