You know those people who always seem like they have everything together? The ones who have known they wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer since age nine. The girl in your class who has all of her school supplies color-coded for each class or club. Or the boy who always looks like he just rolled out of bed for your huge exam and still has perfect grades. It's easy to wonder, 'Why can't I be like that?'
I know I've always secretly wondered if I would be any less successful after graduation, because I don't always remember to write things in my planner, or because it took me until my junior year to find a major that I wanted to stick with. I have definitely lost sleep at night worrying about what my future will hold. I've stared at the ceiling wondering if I will I get a job right out of college, or if I should travel, or where I should move to after my time in Gainesville ends.
Fortunately, I finally came to a wonderful conclusion: it's okay.
It's okay to not have everything mapped out. It's okay that I'm not entirely sure what I want to do with my life. If I want to take things one day at a time and enjoy the moments, I can. Granted, I am going into my senior year, and therefore I need to start figuring it all out. That doesn't mean I am going to constantly worry about things I have no way of predicting. Even more importantly, it means that I – along with so many others out there – should stop comparing my work, grades, and life to anyone else's.
It is honestly an extremely freeing feeling to accept that it's okay to take things as they come, to make mistakes and change paths. These little detours are what make for the best life experiences. If I had never dared to switch into communications, I would have never discovered how much I enjoy writing and reporting. I'm thankful for my brief venture into double majoring in English because it renewed my love of great literature. Unexpectedly deciding to become a part of my sorority's executive council taught me innumerable leadership skills that I never even knew I had.
The bottom line is someone else's success stories should not dictate what another person has the potential to achieve. I am proud of my grades and the positions that I have earned through hard work and dedication. I am lucky that my college career has been as successful as it has, and I definitely did not achieve these things by wasting my time comparing myself to the person next to me. There will always be someone more organized or surer of his or her life path, but that's okay too.
