If you're anything like me, starting college or even high school was a major blow to your ego. Growing up, I attended a private school that lacked any sort of sports teams, academic clubs, or any sort of "gifted kids" program. At the time, it didn't seem like a major issue; after all, I was only concerned with whether or not my parents had packed me a sandwich for lunch, or if it was one of those special occasions where I would get to indulge in the ever-coveted cafeteria food (yes, I actually enjoyed the hot lunch at my private school). Elementary school came and passed, and the same occurred for junior high. Before I knew it, the time had come: I was enrolling in public school for the first time ever. I was going to be... a freshman.

Talk about a wake-up call! For as long as I could remember, my parents had built up my self-esteem almost to a boiling point, resulting in thinking that I was far more superior than my peers. I was a fantastic basketball player; I was tall and "just so handsome!"; I was a ladykiller, and I was the smartest kid in the entire school.

Or so I thought.

All of that changed the second I walked through those intimidating double entrance doors on my first day of high school. Thirty seconds into gym class, I realized I was pretty average at sports. I wasn't awful, but I wasn't the basketball star I thought I was. Many of my peers excelled athletically, but skinny little Jeremy couldn't keep up. The other realizations I had that day weren't too drastic (believe it or not, I actually wasn't a suave little charmer when it came to talking to senior girls). Perhaps the biggest surprise that day came with the realization that there were people I was going to school with that far exceeded my academic capabilities... and that was one of the best things that ever happened to me.

Throughout the remainder of my high school years, I pushed myself academically and physically. I graduated high school with a 3.96 GPA (gotta love AP biology), was part of Student Council, became the captain of my track team, and took as many college courses as I could throughout the process. That very first day of high school completely changed the way I saw the world around me. My reality wasn't, in fact, my own; it was shaped by those who had insane expectations of me and thought that I could excel wherever I applied myself. It's wonderful to have people believe in you and make you think that you can do whatever you set your mind to, but the real truth is perfectly illustrated in a quote by Mike Rowe, most commonly recognized as the TV star of "Dirty Jobs": "Just because you're passionate about something doesn't mean you won't suck at it."

For many of you, you're just starting college and are unsure what field of study you want to go into. My advice to you is this: don't follow your dreams. Forget all of those cheesy quotes that say you can do anything you put your mind to; forget the speeches you heard at your high school graduation telling you to "reach for the stars." The harsh reality is that hard work alone isn't enough to earn your dream job or your ideal career. The likelihood of you or anyone you know becoming a professional athlete or movie star or the President is between zero and none.

Just hear me out on this.

You can still be incredibly successful and happy even if you don't get your dream job.

I'm not saying to stop doing what you love altogether; I can't even begin to express the importance of finding an activity or hobby that makes you happy. I'm simply saying that for most people, their hobbies and their passions need to remain as just that: hobbies.

I absolutely love running track, but do I think that I could be successful as a professional runner? Absolutely not. Even though I enjoy it, I'm not making that my career because I'm not that good at it. I wholeheartedly believe that even though I'm not doing what I love (i.e. track and field), I can still find immeasurable success and happiness in whatever field I go into. The same holds true for you. If you can find a job that allows you to exercise your mind and perform meaningful work, that in itself is success. Don't get so caught up with staying on a path that you're passionate about that you miss opportunities along the way that could lead to you living a joyous and meaningful life.

To all of the freshmen that are just starting college, don't lose heart. These first few weeks of classes are going to be some of the most enlightening and informative weeks of your lives. Regardless of your declared major, be open-minded to new possibilities that may present themselves as you move forward. By all means, continue doing what you love and what makes you happy, but also keep in mind that, more than likely, what you're really good at probably isn't your passion. And that's OK. As I learned in high school, there's nothing wrong with admitting that you aren't that good at something, even if you love it.