My cousin once told me, during a difficult time in my life, that the three most important things in life are “God, family, and school.” For me, this is very true but I’ve chosen to word it a bit differently for two reasons, first so that it is more generally applicable and second so that it may extend past the time I am a student. Without further ado, the three most important things in life are faith, family and following your dreams (I know cheesy but I was trying to make them all ‘f’ words).

1. FaithFaith doesn’t have to mean religion or God.

You can have faith in anything you want, but in order to have good faith, you have to place it in something good. Don’t dedicate your attention, time and emotional energy to anything that is not bettering you or adding positively to your life. This was a recent and quite difficult lesson I learned the hard way myself.

For a long time, I place much of my faith in humanity. I always do my best to see the good in even the worst people, but after a few extremely hurtful betrayals and heartbreaks, I decided to place my faith elsewhere. I still try to see the best in everyone because I believe people are inherently good, however, I am not so quick to offer my faith, trust, and emotion to everyone now.

Now, I choose to place my faith in God, in my family and in my closest friends. These are constants in my life for support, unconditional love, and strength in my weakness. They are dependable, sturdy and loyal, and an excellent place to plant my faith.

2. Family

My parents are both one of five siblings and I have ten cousins on each side. Growing up, we are all around the same age, and I loved having people to talk and relate too, especially because I don’t see them often. My immediate and extended families are all very close to one another and I often consider what a gift this is. I think of my cousins as siblings, my aunts and uncles as subsequent parents and I know that anyone of my family members would be there for me in an instant, no matter what I needed, if I asked.

I feel so fortunate to have a family like this, one that is overflowing with love, support, and understanding, however, I know this is not how it is for everyone. This is why I say, if it is even in the realm of possibility, keep your family close. Though parents and siblings, etc. may show not show love in the best ways, they care about you and in the end, who else do you have left but your family?

3. Following your dreams

We all have goals and aspirations. We all have an idea of what we want ourselves to be and what we want our lives to be like. I think that chasing after these goals is absolutely one of the most important things in life. Don’t hold back, don’t push aside the things that would/could make you happy and don’t let the opinions of others influence where you go in life.

It’s your life, take control and take the path that you choose. Choose to be happy because this is our only shot, this life we have now, so might as well make the most of it.

I could go on forever about all the things I think are important in life, but these three I believe to be the most important, at least to start. Consider the things that are currently the at the forefront of your priorities. Does it make you happy? Does it make you a better person? Is it hurting you emotionally or physically? Is it taking away or adding to your mental and physical health? Is it making you stagnant in your stage of life and do you want to move forward?

You know the saying, breath in the good sh** (That fresh oxygen. You already know.), then exhale the bull sh**. Be happy, have faith, love those close to you, follow your aspirations, reach your goals and always treat others how you would want to be treated.

Everyone has a story and every story is different. What will your story be?