Being yourself is both the easiest thing in the world, and the hardest thing in the world, at the same time. I think most people are in a constant battle with themselves, myself included, about three major questions: What do I want out of life?; What direction do I want to take my life in order to be both successful and happy?; Who is the person that I want to become?
I know the answer to some of these questions right now, but ask me again in a couple of weeks or months and you may get completely different answers. It’s human nature for these types of things to be constantly changing, or even rotating in order of priority. For some, true answers to these questions may never come. To others, these answers just come naturally. Then there’s those of us who have to work for these answers. Maybe we experiment with a bunch of new things and meet a bunch of new people. That’s what college is about. It’s not just about education, it’s also about trying new things and learning through experience what is and is not right for you.
For me, the answer to question number 1, is question number 2. What do I want out of life? Easy. To be successful and happy. But therein lies the problem. I don’t exactly know the answer to question number 2 just yet. But I’m not worried about it. I’m 22 years old. That’s it. Put this into perspective. 10 years ago I was riding my bike places and my curfew was dinner time. Now? I have a steady job which will soon turn into my true career as soon as I graduate. 10 years ago we were all completely different people. 10 years ago there were different people in our lives, maybe we lived in a different location, and maybe we've changed for better or worse. But, you know what? We're here now, and what you do with that time in order to make the most out of YOUR life, is entirely up to YOU. You're in the driver's seat, don't let somebody else take the wheel and dictate the direction you want to go in. Find one that makes you happy, and when you decide that you're no longer happy and want to veer off and pave a new path for yourself, I implore you to do so. As Bob Dylan once said, "What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do."
As for who I want to become as a person? Well, I want to be me. I like who I am right now. I’m driven and goal oriented. I have a mostly care free mentality. I’m goofy. I’m a harry potter nerd. I love sports. I love my family. Yes, we all want something more, including me. If I could have Ryan Gosling’s looks, Usher's voice, and a billion dollars, that'd be fantastic, but you’ve gotta work with what you got. And what I have right now I’m pretty damn happy with. So don’t worry about your greatest fears at this any age, because the best things in life are worth waiting for. You won’t be alone forever. You may not have that 2 story house, white picket fence, and 2.5 kids, but what you will have in your life you’ll be happy with, I promise you that. It’ll be yours, and nobody could possibly take away who you are, and what you’ve accomplished. If you want to be successful and happy, just work really hard at it. Easier said than done, right? Work hard at what? Well that’s something only you will ever know and be able to solve. If you like where you are in life, keep doing what you’re doing until that feeling changes. If you’re not happy with your life at the moment, then change it. It’s a simple equation, but in life you can’t just plug numbers into a calculator. You’ve gotta work hard for the answer, but eventually it'll come, and you'll be happy you waited so long for the right one.
