I will grow up.

I will face the harsh truth of reality.

One day I will face every tiny incessant concept of life on my own.

Being a girl and growing up has taught me that I think way too much -- or way more than I need to. Although, my thinking has transformed my mind. As a woman, I won’t let anyone tell me “I can’t.” Those two words serenade my mind with a disturbing harmony. No one will tell me I can’t. The unwavering thoughts that stumble throughout my mind have allowed me to plan out my life. Maybe not “plan” out, but I have definitely developed my hopes and dreams. These aspirations infiltrate my mind on a daily basis, and I frequently add to the unceasing list. One day at a time can be hard to master considering the endless possibilities of adventures I have yet to fulfill. I suppose you can call this my “bucket list,” but I would just refer to it as exploring the never-ending possibilities that life has to offer. So I guess, this is what I want out of life.

I want to make my parents proud. Not just the “oh, you made an A type proud,” but the kind of proud where you inspire someone. I want to be an inspiration. I don’t want to be idealized, but honestly and truly inspire someone in result of something I’ve done. To me, that is the truest compliment and the greatest accomplishment.

I want to be respected. I want people to look at me as a woman in society and respect me no less than a man. I want to expand my knowledge on everything life is made of. I want to understand why we are the way we are and how the world was made. I want to explore the unexplainable and provide my imperfect ideas.

I want to go to law school. I want to help people, especially those who need me. I want to save a life, not necessarily in the sense that someone might face harm, but help someone find himself or herself in this world. I want to give back. My family has provided for me, and I understand the importance of helping those who are in need most.

I want to travel. I want to explore not to say that I’ve been to all these fancy places, but to say that I have experienced various cultures. I want to dance in the streets of Barcelona. I want to climb the Great Wall of China. I want to appreciate the illuminating colors of the Northern Lights in Iceland. I want to try exotic fruits at the Thai fruit festival in Thailand. I want to ride on the back of an elephant in India. I whole-heartedly want to share these experiences with the people I love most.

I want to have a family, to be a mother and loving wife. I firmly believe that family is one of the most amazing gifts in this world. I want to grow and better myself.

I want to be happy. Happiness is the most important aspect of life. In the United States, life expectancy is about 80 years. If I’m doing my calculations correctly, my life is nearly 25% completed. I’m sure there will be some insane experimental processes developed to make people live longer or extend their lives.

All I know is that eventually it will be my time to leave this wonderful Earth. When I look back at the end of my life, I want to be able to say that I am completely content with my life and that I regret nothing. I know I’m different. I know that I just talked about all my dreams, and now I’m talking about dying; somehow, that’s just how my mind works.

Everyone should have goals in life because they motivate you to work harder. And yes, it is important to think about the future, but it is also important to think about the now. I know that I have my whole life ahead of me, but right now I can’t focus on the color of my bridesmaid’s dresses, the name of my first baby, or what age I want to retire. As of right now, I need to focus on being an 18-year-old. I need to study for final exams, schedule an interview for my summer job, and maintain healthy relationships with the people I care about the most.

I once met a guy who didn’t want to live in the now. He wanted to plan out his future before he even got to his senior year of college. From him, I learned it is impossible to have your life completely planned out. Life is full of happiness, sadness, devastation, and curiosity. Life isn’t meant to be set and stone, but it is important to have dreams. Dreams become goals, and goals can eventually become reality.

Living life one day at a time allows you to focus on the important things, but still allows you to hope and aim for a happy and successful future.