Life is a never-ending roller-coaster, filled with many highs and lows. I’ve waved my little white flag at life multiple times, admitting defeat against the trials it handed me. But I realized that I — along with all of you reading this — made it past these struggles. I made it beyond the pain and trauma that made life feel difficult and devoid of potential. There comes a time when we see how far we’ve come. Following your dreams is not a negotiation you make with the world, but one you make with yourself. The question becomes: “Well, what was it all for?” What will we decide to do with this new chapter? Where we can finally see that better things are ahead?
After a life-threatening situation, I was forced to face my own mortality. Living a long life is never promised, and if we saw how much time we truly had left, we wouldn’t push our dreams and aspirations to tomorrow — we would chase them today. All of the battles I’ve had up until today have not only given me gratitude for the present, but also the drive to improve my future. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, but too many of us are scared of what’s on the other side of failure.
Mistakes are inevitable, and we have been taught to adopt a negative connotation towards them, which can be extra damaging when they occur. From a young age, we were told that mistakes are bad in schoolwork, at home and in our careers. Each experience with failure and loss is actually an opportunity to learn, though. As humans, we are compelled to stay in our comfort zones. We’re innately scared of change, but more so, we’re scared of what comes after it. But how can we accept the good opportunities we deserve if we resist change and stay in comfort zones that don’t benefit us?
As college students, now is the time to make mistakes. It’s the time to take risks, take chances, to grab ahold of opportunities. Join that club you saw on a bulletin board one time but didn’t think you’d fit in. Take that course whose topic might not contribute to your major, but you’re interested in. A lot of us have faced much harder things than joining a club or taking a class, and yet the anxiety can feel paralyzing.
If something calls out to you, don’t shoot it down and make excuses for why you shouldn’t go for it. Don’t be your own bully; don’t prevent yourself from achieving personal growth. There will always be a million excuses not to do something, and maybe one of them is right. But on the other side of that coin, there’s another million reasons why the thing you’re so scared of can lead you to a life that’s more beautiful than you can imagine. Working through our fears makes us less susceptible to them.
A regret many older people have is simply being too afraid to chase after the things they want for all kinds of reasons, whether it be societal stigma or self-doubt. But this simply shows that life is not meant to be lived for others — it is meant to be lived for you. Not making a choice to follow your dreams is still a choice. Choosing not to do something because you don’t know when you’ll see results? Well, the time is going to pass by anyway. Following your dreams is not a negotiation you make with the world, but one you make with yourself.
This life is yours, and your dreams are only achievable through you. This can seem overwhelming once you understand that everything you want is only achievable through your own effort. But isn’t it also liberating to know that living your life in alignment with your highest form can lead to your greatest level of happiness?
I’m in my final year of college, and I already wish I took more risks and made more mistakes. But something as simple as changing my major in my sophomore year led me here to this moment — writing for UMass Boston’s student newspaper. If you had asked me two years ago, I would never have thought that switching my major — something that gave me intense anxiety about whether I was making the right choice — would lead me to a path that, today, feels like it’s bringing me closer to the woman I’m meant to be.
All of this is to say that sometimes, you won’t know what the right choice is until long after you’ve made it. Our dreams are amazing things, yet somewhere along the way, we’ve allowed our fear and doubt to get in the way of them. So, this year, I ask you to take more chances with yourself. Everything that comes your way is something you can handle. This life is yours and yours alone, so take advantage of it all, and love the journey while you do!
