In May I will graduate from college. Chico State University, to be exact. I will have completed my collegiate education in exactly 4 years. Two years spent at a community college, and two at a four year University. I will be 22 years old, on the day that I walk across that stage. I will be saying goodbye to the comfortable life I have known as a student for the last 16 years, and stepping into a life full of unknowns, big choices, monumental moments and life decisions. In only 7 months my life will change drastically.
I know that I am not the only person in my shoes right now. I know that there are other young adults wrapping up chapters of their lives, and moving onto the next ones. There are other college students graduating in May. There are more me’s, in this exact situation, out there than I may know. And if you are anything like me- you are absolutely freaking out.
In 7 months I will have to make big choices. Big decisions. Big moves. I will have to decide what I want my life to look like. I will be faced with choices, some of which I don’t feel ready to make. As i’m sure you all will be, as well. We will have to decide where we want to live. Do we want to stay where we are, or go somewhere new. We will have to decide what job we want to clock in and clock out of everyday. We will have to decide what works for us, and what doesn’t. What will make us the most happy, and what is the most realistic. We will have to make all of these decisions, and we will have absolutely no way of knowing whether they are right or wrong. We will have no compass guiding us.
And so, with that…I want to take a moment to talk about dreams. You have them. I have them. In fact, I have about 6 thousand sitting at the front of my mind right now. As i’m sure, some of you do as well. There are things that you want to do with your life. Things that you want to accomplish. Places you want to see. People you want to meet. Books you want to write. Loves you want to conquer. Your lists might be long. Or, they might be short. But either way, we have dreams. We all have them. You may want something little for yourself. You may want something large. But either way, you have something tugging on you in the back of your mind every time these big life decisions come to play…and that is what I want to talk about.
That tiny voice inside of your head reminding you. Remind you of all of the things you want to do. The dreams you have. The things you want for yourself. Telling you to remember to follow your heart, and chase your dreams. That little voice that is saying “hey what about this?” “yeah that might work but will you be pursuing something you are passionate about?”. That voice. The one I know you’ve heard. The one you’re thinking about right now, reading this. Listen to it.
Because there’s something really beautiful about these times of our lives that are pivotal and monumental and big. They bring us options and opportunities and forks in the road. And while we end up getting engulfed in the stress and the what ifs and the worries, we often forget to listen to ourselves. We often forget to remember something…At the end of the day, the only person you have to make happy, The only person you have to make proud. The only person you have to please. The only person you have to honor…is you. Did you hear me? YOU.
When you’re deciding where you want to live, what job you want to take, what you want for yourself, and so many more things- remember to listen to you. Because you’re talking to yourself. That little voice? That’s you. That’s your heart. Your spirit. Your being. That’s your soul reminding you what you’re meant for. What your purpose is. What you could possibly do right now that will honor who you are, and what you stand for, and what you want for yourself. Do you want to write a book? Does that mean something to you? Okay. Then decide to write it. Do you want to go to medical school and become a doctor like the ones on TV? Okay. Go do it. Hell, i’ll find you the application.
Your dreams, are only yours. Those things you want for yourself. Those passions. Those ideas. Those dreams. They are yours. They are meant for you. And whats beautiful about that- is they will always be meant for you. And they are only meant for you. And you only get one chance to conquer them. To grab them and claim them. To make them your own…so you should. Your life is yours. This is your story. You are holding the pen. You get to decide where you turn at that fork in the road. Hell, you get to decide if you even make a turn. And thats really beautiful. That’s really powerful. That means something. And it should count. And the only way to make it count, is to make it your own. To make it mean something to you. To have it honor who you are. What you embody. What you possess. What you want. What you strive for. Each decision is your own. Each big leap is your own. Right direction or not.
Because here’s the secret to this whole thing. If you’re listening to your heart, and chasing your dreams…there’s no wrong direction. There’s no wrong decision, or wrong turn. There’s no wrong anything. There’s only trying, and seeing what happens from there. There’s only putting in the effort, and hoping for the results. There’s only doing RIGHT by YOU. And correct me if i’m wrong, but that’s the most amount of right you can do in this world. Is it not? To honor yourself, and your heart, and your being and to encourage those around you to do the same. To love yourselves. To chase your dreams and hopes. To make beautiful lifetimes out of your wants and desires, and aspirations. There’s nothing more right than that, in my opinion.
And while this all may mean nothing to you. It means something to me. Because I have found myself buried in stress and anxiety ever since I started my Senior year of College 3 months ago. I have been drowning in what ifs and fear that I might not make the right decisions when it comes time, and I might end up stuck living a life i’m not proud of, or worse not happy to be living. And then I went to dinner with my best friend, and got this fortune:
“You have a charming way with words and should write a book.” And I fell silent. My universe halted to a stop. At that moment in time, everything in my world had paused. I didn’t know I needed a wake up call. I didn’t know I needed a sign. But here it was. Here was the moment I had desperately been needing. This was my moment. This was my wake up call. And it did what it needed to… stopping my theatrical freak out period, and brought me back to reality. I have dreams. Big dreams. I want to open my own companies. I want to be my own boss. I want to make change in this world. I want to make people better, and happier. I want to help change people’s lives. I want to leave people better than I found them. I want to work with animals. I want to help animals in need find love and safety. I want to do good. I want to be good. I want to write a book. Or maybe a couple. I want my voice to be heard. I want my name to mean something. I want to leave my footprint on this earth so that when I am long gone, my life will have meant something. I want to mean something. I want to be big. I want my life to be big.
And you know what I realized sitting at that table in the middle of that Chinese food restaurant? I can. I can do anything I put my mind to. I have the heart and the spirit and the soul to do anything I want to do. I can conquer anything. I have the tools to succeed in this life. I have the drive to learn what it takes to get to the places I want to go. I have the ambition to put up a fight, that won’t quit until i’m satisfied. And the only thing that will ever stop me from getting there, from doing those things, from becoming all that I want to be… is myself. My mind. My fears. My worries.
It’s about time that I follow suit of that little voice in my head and start believing in myself. And it’s about time that you do the same.
You deserve it. I deserve it. We all do.
Your dreams are in reach. They are closer than you think. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there. And i’ll let you in on a little secret, but don’t tell anyone you heard it from me. Okay? Okay. Here it goes…
If you don’t grab them…someone else will.
So do right by yourself. Do right by your effort, and skills, and talents, and hopes, and dreams, and loved ones, and angels, and support system, and so much more. And grab them. Grab your dreams. Make them your own. Make them pave a life for you that is so beautiful and happy that you never even so much as formulate thoughts about what could’ve been and what could be.
Your dreams will make your life everything you’ve ever wanted it to be…if you just go out there and chase them. And when you’re faltering, and falling behind and the going gets tough and you find yourself failing to believe in who you are and what you are capable of. Remember this to be true: I believe in you. When you are weak, I will be strong. When you fall down, I will pick you back up. We are in this together. I believe in you. I believe in you enough for the both of us. So go out there, and make this world proud. There’s a spot for your footprint right next to mine…
(Originally posted on https://parkerlorena.wordpress.com/)