Life: what is it?

A choice we make to wake up every day and to get things done.

In really technical terms - "the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally" - thank you, dictionary.com.

This year so far, I've seen and felt tremendous pressure in figuring out what I want to do with my life after college. While this isn't something that I'm 100% sure of yet, it's something that's constantly on my mind. I'm always dreading needing to finally sit down and decide what I want to do after getting my costly degree. What if I can never finally choose something?

Photo by Ryann Flippo

As a 21-year-old girl, I can loudly announce that I am still very much stuck in a pickle about this subject. Trying to resolve this issue and to have to choose just one thing is so difficult and to me, it seems impossible to be able to do.

There can't be just one big thing that I must choose to do for the rest of my life. I'm an extremely picky person and crave change after some time. There's a fear: what if I grow bored or tired of what I'm doing, and want a change? That's not always possible in the real world. There is, however, a vast amount of things to choose from and endless amounts of opportunities. I just have to be sure that whatever I choose, that it's really what I want to do.

That it's what I want to be waking up every day to and that I'll go to work happy and not dread the things I do for a career.

I want to love what I do because I hear from mounds of people that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.

I thought I had this whole career and life thing figured out in elementary school when I decided I wanted to be a pilot. To a veterinarian, to a writer, to a teacher, to a hairdresser, to a cosmetologist, to a marketing businesswoman, to a psychologist, back to a veterinarian… and to a journalist. Because of my uncertainty and my constant changes of majors and minors, I've never been sure of what I want.

Photo by joyce huis

There are some things that I'm certain of with no change: my best friends, my boyfriend, and my family. They'll always receive my unconditional love, understanding, certainty, and support. The real question is: what is it that I want for people to support about me? There has to be something. Anything.

It's gotten to the point - at different times in my college career - that I've almost given up looking and searching for what it is I want to do with my life and as a career. College has always been a dream of mine though, so now that I'm here, I figure that I might as well enjoy the years while I can.

I want to enjoy the years after college too…

Photo by Kristina Tripkovic

I have a choice to make.

Even though I'm still undecided, I have a general idea of the direction that I want to go into. There will always be opportunities to volunteer, to have a minor, and to be able to get degrees in multiple things. It'll all just take time and a little courage and confidence boost.

Meet you on the other side.

Photo by Miguel Bruna