When we were young, the question our parents, teachers, and other adults kept asking us was, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I assume most of our answers included different types of professions, superheroes, or possibly something out of the ordinary like a giraffe, which was my sister's response, but why, even as children, did we put so much emphasis on career plans?

My response was always, "I want to be a teacher," but when I seriously started thinking about what I wanted to do once I graduate, I realized that I don't see myself following through with that profession. As of now, my job plan is still undecided, but thinking about the future made me start considering what qualities I hope to gain or build on as I grow older. Although a career is important, improving oneself is more noteworthy.

1. Be grateful!

"Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others. He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind." I'm sure we have all wanted something that someone else had, whether it be material items or relationships with other people. I've been struggling with this a lot recently. It's difficult to see someone have something that you think you deserve, but being envious can only make you feel worse about the situation.

I'm working on being grateful for what I have and to not worry about the things I don't have. I have many things I should be thankful for, but at times, they are forgotten or pushed aside because of other things. I want to be happy about the accomplishments other people make in life as well as be satisfied with my own.

2. Have confidence!

Confidence is something I've struggled with my entire life. I was bullied in junior high and high school for being overweight, and it really damaged my self-esteem. I feel like I missed out on a lot of opportunities when I was younger because I was too worried about other people's opinions of me. Although I no longer have any bullies in my life, I still struggle with being confident. I'm an introvert, so I feel like that plays a part in some of my apprehension in social situations. I feel self-conscious for several reasons, but it's strongest when I have to speak in front of people. I'm always afraid I'll say something incorrectly or that it won't make any sense, and people will laugh, even though I know that's very unlikely to actually happen. Taking foreign language classes has helped me with this because I have to get outside my comfort zone when speaking in another language in front of the class. It was difficult at first, but it gets a little bit easier each time.

My biggest struggle is caring too much about what others think about me. "When caring how other people perceive us interferes with our own intuition, that’s when you may need to simply follow your heart and do what you feel is right." I need to learn to let go of things that do not matter and focus on things that make me happy. It's not going to be an easy process, but in the end, I hope to be a more confident person.

3. Be passionate!

No matter where life leads me, I hope to end up being passionate about the things I do in my life. I think it's very important to love what you do because if you don't, you're not going to thrive in it. "You can do anything as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support." Don't let others determine your future. Love what you do, and you will shine.