In November of 2018, I was looking to join a club or organization at my school. I was open to everything and anything, but I wasn't having any luck with anything.

Then I came across Odyssey. If I'm being honest, I wasn't sold instantly. I was nervous and had never done anything like it before. The only real writing I did was wither for school or personal stuff I would jot down from time to time.

The idea of writing for the public terrified me.

"What if no one likes what I write?" or "What if people misinterpret what I am trying to say?" These are a few of the thoughts that ran through my head before choosing to publish my work. But I soon realized that those things don't matter, and chances are they are definitely going to happen. However, I do not have control over those things. I have control over what I write and that's all I need to worry about.

I thought to myself, "As long as I am happy and proud of what I have created, then everything else is irrelevant."

Don't get me wrong, trying something new is still f****** terrifying! It could always go horribly and you'd regret it forever, but it could also be amazing and something you wish you had done sooner. You'll never know if you don't try.

I wanted 2019 to be different, I wanted to continue trying new things and experiences. I promised myself I would try new things more, and writing for Odyssey was the start of that self-proclaimed mission.

The feedback and support have been overwhelming and I do not know what I did to deserve it.

Though this platform, I was able to share my thoughts and views on things and topics I found were very important to me. Seeing people respond to it in a such a positive way was incredible.

It felt so freeing to be able to get my entire opinion out without being interrupted or rushed. It was a way to express myself in a completely different way that I never would have considered in a million years. To just be able to share something like that was life-changing.

I want to encourage everyone to try new things.

Not to be cliche, but TRY NEW THINGS, PEOPLE! Life is way too short to be doing the same things over and over again. Try things that scare you, excite you, and interest you as much and as often as you can. Don't b**** out and let fear dictate what you do all your life.

For anyone still debating trying something new, listen up. You are awesome. You can do it. Stop imagining what will go wrong and imagine what would happen if it goes right.

Publishing the things that I write about was something I never would have pictured myself doing in a million years, but I think that's why I'm glad I did it.