When we were children, we were allowed to believe that we could be princesses, astronauts, or the president when we grew up. We were encouraged to 'dream big' and believe we could do anything we set our minds to because "the sky is the limit." We were at an age where we hadn't yet experienced reality so it was okay to have unrealistic expectations, hopes, and dreams for our future. However, the more we age, the more 'dreaming big' becomes discouraged and frowned upon. The more we age, the more society tells us who we should be and what we should do with our lives.
When we were seniors in high school, we were at a time where our adolescence had nearly run its course and we were approaching one of the biggest decisions of our lives: our future. We asked ourselves questions like, where do I want to go to college? Do I even want to go to college? What do I want to major in? What do I want?
If you were anything like me, senior year was difficult because you had no idea what you wanted to do with your life. While college has undoubtedly been the best experience of my life, I was initially on the fence as to whether or not I even wanted to go to college. I had dreams of working in the film industry and traveling the world and volunteering abroad. Back then, I often thought to myself, is college right for me? I hate routines and I hate having things planned out so the thought of having the next four years of my life planned out terrified me. While I knew that college could be fun, I wanted my life to be different than my peers. Everyone goes to college and everyone goes straight into the work force soon after, I used to think to myself, do I really want to be just like everyone else? I want my life to be different. Don't get me wrong, I commended my classmates for automatically having the desire to go to college. I commended them for having the desire to get a higher education to have a better chance at improving their quality of life. While I commended them, I also envied them. They had their future planned out and I didn't even know if I wanted to go to college. While I tried to change my mindset and view this decision from their perspective, I couldn't because I was different and I wanted my life to be different.
As college application season was coming to a close, I realized my post-graduation plans didn't sum up to the possible benefits of obtaining a college education. I wasn't sure if traveling the world or moving out to California to pursue the film industry would pay off and I knew it wasn't acceptable in the society we live in. Much later than my classmates, I applied to seven schools with the hope that one would change my mind and make me want to go to college. While Michigan State didn't necessarily make me want to go to college--not because it was a bad school or because I didn't like it, but because I just didn't really want to go to college--I put my deposit down because I knew it gave me a better chance at living a financially stable, suitable life.
Flash forward to the summer before my sophomore year, I am the happiest I have ever been. College was undoubtedly the best year and experience of my life and I can't picture it any differently. I made incredible friends, discovered new passions, had the time of my life, and made memories that will last a lifetime. While I am the happiest I have ever been and can't picture life any differently, I often ask myself, where would my life be today if I had taken a leap of faith and followed my heart? Where would I be if at that time, I knew I could not fail? While I ask myself these questions from time to time, I am asking you this as well: where would you be or what would you be doing if you knew could not fail? Would you be an astronaut, an actor, a musician, or a doctor? Or would you have taken a leap of faith and set out for the world? What would you be doing if someone handed you a magic wand and told you that with a swish and flick of the wand, you could have anything you wanted. What would you do? Would you keep the job and life you have because you're happy or would you quit everything, uproot your life, and change the direction of your future?
While I believe that some things happen for a reason, I can't help but question where my life would be today if I had the shed the societal expectations and fear of failing and followed my heart.
Life is too short to give in to everyone else's expectations. Life is too short for anyone to be working a job they hate or dating someone who doesn't make them happy or living a life nothing like their childhood dreams. Sure, a job with a decent paycheck that pays the bills is nearly impossible to give up, but if in 60 or 70 years or however long it is until you're 90 years old, do you really want to look back on your life with regrets and question whether or not it would be different?
You only get one life. Live it as adventurously and authentically as you want, follow your heart, and do what you want.
