There are a few certainties in this world. Death and taxes are two of the most famous, but another concrete, non-negotiable tenet of the human experience is that you will, at some point, have to answer that very cliché question: "What do you want to do with your life?"

The question starts off innocently enough - as a kid you're always asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" But at some point - somewhere between adolescence and adulthood - this question morphs into something that sounds so much more intimidating, even a little sinister -- "What do you want to do with your life? " There's almost a challenge to these words - it's as if the asker is reminding you that God's given you this life for a reason, so you better not waste it. Intimidating, right?

A lot of people don't know. As a college student, I've heard more than one poor soul say, in a resigned tone, "I'm undeclared and I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life." I feel for these people. College is tough enough without the added pressure of not knowing at all what your focus should be.

But what if you want to do too many things?

My earliest aspirations were to be a horse trainer, an artist, a musician, a fairy princess. In my adulthood, I've wanted to be a vet, a missionary, the owner of a breeder barn, a journalist, a diplomat, a criminal profiler, a forensic psychologist, a family counselor, a politician, and a lawyer. Truth be told, I still want to be all of these things, and I would if I could. So how do you choose when you have so many passions and aspirations? In short: there's no easy answer.

It's so important to have passions. But to have so many is both a blessing and a curse - I love so many things with my whole heart, and knowing that I have to choose just one of them to carry with me as a career for the rest of my life is pretty daunting. I tried to make a list of all the things I enjoy, and pare it down to just one - but it's so difficult. Before I went to college, I traveled to India and decided I wanted to work in business for foreign missions. Then I got to school, and I decided I'd rather catch bad guys, so I picked up Criminology. But then I wondered if I might be better off if I added psychology, and then I even entertained the idea of dropping everything and switching into Animal Science to become a vet. Consequently, I've changed my major from International Business to Criminology and Spanish to Criminology and Psychology to Criminology, Psychology, and Pre-Law.

While I'm (almost) sure I won't change again, I'm still not totally certain that this is the right path for me. I love the idea of law school, and it's something that's rolled around in my brain for years, ever since my parents told me I was good at debating (read - I liked to argue). I have aspirations of attending Harvard, Georgetown, or Cornell, and working in Washington and even becoming a politician. I've always known I wanted to make a big impact, and that I wanted to make peoples' lives better - I've thought of becoming a district attorney or working in family law.

But I'm also an artist, a writer, and a horsewoman. I'm also a cook, a decorator, and a baker. What about these passions? What will I do with them, once my law career begins?

I've asked myself these questions over and over - it's difficult to think about giving up any of these passions and settling for just one thing, so here's my advice: don't. Choosing a career path doesn't mean you have to eliminate everything else. Whatever you do, don't throw away your other talents just because you've set your sights on a career path. Keep cooking, keep writing, keep drawing - do what you're good at, and you'll always feel rewarded.

Keep in mind, though, that I didn't "settle" for the path to law school. It's very genuinely something that I love, and picking that out of my many other interests wasn't easy. It's never easy to discern your calling, particularly when there are just so many things you love. But it'll come, I promise. You'll graduate, you'll find your career, and you'll find success - and you'll be extra happy because you didn't have to give up any of your passions along the way.