My whole life I have questioned my gut feeling. I am queen of second guessing and over thinking on the daily. I have learned that every time I have second guessed my gut feelings I realized that I should of followed them. It has been a process of trust within myself that I have tried to not question my gut. Somedays are easier than others but every day I try a little bit more. This year alone, I have made a conscious effort to follow my gut more and my life has significantly improved.

I struggled to know if I should study abroad earlier than planned as a sophomore.

I always knew I wanted to study abroad but I was not sure when I wanted to go. I was presented the opportunity to go and didn't know what would be better for me. I went with my gut and had one of the best experiences of my life. It was the perfect time for me and I could not imagine my life any other way.

I was worried about not knowing what kind of job I would want.Going into my junior year it felt like everyone knew what they wanted to do and had a basic idea of where they wanted to work. I had no idea what I wanted. I randomly took a one credit class that my advisor encouraged me to take and I followed my gut. The class helped me centralized my ideas of what I wanted to do in the future. I finally have an idea of what I want to do.

I wasn't sure if I was too involved or not involved enough

I love being involved on campus, but I always felt like I was not doing enough. I worried though if I tried more activities or clubs on campus that my plate would get too full. I stopped over thinking and just started joining clubs and activist groups that aligned perfectly with what I am interested in. I have never felt more at home than I do this year because of it.

I got closer to some people and cut some people out of my life.

I am the type of person who will make excuses for someone until I'm blue in the face. It isn't until someone really sits me down and tries to acknowledge the fact that either I am not happy or something is wrong that I begin to look at things differently. I hate losing people, and I am never one to hold a grudge so I have 0 hard feelings for anyone who is entered or left my life. I just stuck with my gut and did what I felt was best for me, and for the most part, it has been right. Sometimes you need to make changes and that is okay. You never know what the future holds and who knows people re-enter your life sometimes.

I called my parents a little bit more.

As I am growing up, there is always a push towards less reliance on my parents just from society and others in general. This year I feel like I have called/txted them more than usual but simply because I realize that they are the experts at being adults. They also get what I'm going through. So calling them three times a day because I do not know how to pay a bill, cook a meal, or get a stain out of the carpet has led me to not only be closer to them while I'm away but helped me transition into adulthood.