Just because we are now adults, does not mean we need to know absolutely everything. Yes, we can vote now, we lead our own lives as individuals, buy our own groceries, but I'll tell you, I know close to nothing about anything and I have fallen into a rut of believing I have to settle for the average things in life.

I have always been the person that knew exactly what I wanted out of life. I have never been the indecisive type and was always a planner. As I trekked through my first year of college, things remained unchanged on that front. I was focused, and even throughout the beginning of my sophomore year I remained on my steady and planned path. As I approach my second semester this year, things have begun to change.

People come in and out of our lives all the time. I have always had the strong belief that each person that wanders into our lives has a reason and even if they end up leaving later, their presence served a purpose. Some people in our lives are more important than others, while some are not meant to even help us, but instead for us to help them. My sophomore year, thus far, I have had many of these important figures impacting my thought process and my desires for my own personal future. They have altered what I plan on demanding out of this life I have been given. I have encountered people who have pushed me into valuing myself more, reassuring me to no longer settle for anything less than I deserve. I have found people who have encouraged patience in me, showing me the value of waiting for something you want because when something is worth it, waiting is just a small stipulation to the joy it could potentially bring.

Most importantly in this semester I have been inspired in the sense of being okay with not knowing what I need to be doing “next” right away. Ask anyone that knows me, it is always important for me to have a plan, to know what I want, what I can accomplish, the realistic things in life. Finding a person who makes you let go of that piece of yourself, even if it is just for a split second, is a gem. I have always loved other cultures and to travel, but not until recently have I realized how maybe it is not the fact I do not know what I want to do with my life but rather the issue of where I want to be and who I want to be with.

It is the carefree spirt of someone around me who has inspired me to spread my horizons beyond the shrunken borders of what I have so long believed were my only realities. What I feel many young people, especially college students, do not acknowledge is our majors, our plans, our goals in the “now” do not define us and are always allowed to changing. College can sometimes box you into a reality you no longer want, blocking you from accomplishing your true capabilities. The plans I had yesterday I am no longer sure of today, and although every bone in my body wants to stress out at this and have a many panic attack, I am starting to realize that I shouldn’t.

Regardless of what I decide to do in the next year or in the next four, I am going to be okay. All that matters are people: the people we love, the places we want to go with them, and the people that make us happy. Thank you to those people who show me what it is to love, to have patience, and to follow my heart, and I hope I can always do the same for you.