Lately, I have been feeling anxious about the unknown. There are so many things in life that cannot be controlled. For someone who loves to attempt to control all aspects of her life, this has become a slight problem.

Being in college I feel all college students can agree that majority of their lives are filled with “I don’t know” instead of concrete answers.

How nerve-wracking is it to realize that at this point in your life your five-year plan could include a fiancé, a husband, your first child, and your first home?

I was sitting down sulking in my Sunday blues when I realized that “nerve-racking” is the most negative way to look at these upcoming events, but rather EXCITING should be the word of choice.

The unknown has had a negative connotation in our lives.

• People consistently refrain from accepting change due to the unknown.
• Reject inviting people into their lives due to the unknown.
• Miss out on wondrous adventure due to the unknown.
• Settle for mediocre lives due to the unknown.

The list could go on and on.

If the list of cons could go to infinity and beyond then why do we constantly block ourselves from the unknown?

We have this bad habit of building walls around ourselves brick by brick.

• A bad experience, another brick.
• Heartbreak, another brick.
• A failure, another brick.
• A fall-out with a friend, another brick.
• A rejection, another brick.
• An obstacle on the way to our dreams, another brick.

The walls we build during our lifetimes could very well save us from sadness, grief, and bad days.

Incidentally, those exact walls are also keeping out possible opportunities of happiness, laughter, and our greatest days.

I have lived my life like many others I know, expecting the worst to avoid the disappointment that could come along and hurt me had I let myself be hopeful.

Much like many people in the world I have grown up training myself to believe that any hope could be false hope and false hope could cause me pain.

People stopped letting themselves feel EXCITED for things and, instead, only allows nerves.

We downplay our accomplishments and block out positive expectations causing us to settle for far less than what is possible in our minds!

• I graduate in May BUT the odds of getting a job in my field straight out of college is slim.
• I like him BUT what if he isn’t as interested in me as I am in him?
• I got an interview BUT there are others who are far more qualified.
• There is a house for sale in Maine BUT I don’t know anyone there.
• This guy wants to date BUT what if cheats?

The “buts” in our minds all too often strip us of this much-needed EXCITEMENT and replace it with the negative feelings of nerves.

What I’ve learned over this previous summer is this: Life is SO fragile.

What fun is a life of walking on eggshells avoiding all the disappointment life could conjure up while simultaneously missing out on all the magnificence it has to offer?

I think we all need a little push, especially us college students when it comes to taking the risk.

Make the move across the country, apply for the job you’re missing a few requirements for, kiss the boy, go get the girl, and with every risk, take down a brick from your wall you’ve spent so much time building.

Brick by brick tear your own wall down instead of waiting for someone else to come along to prove to you what you could’ve proven to yourself.

Be hopeful, be excited, dive into the dark and unknown, and live life.

100 years seems like a long time until you’re reaching 100.