It seems that as I get older, I am faced with more decisions that I have to make on my own. Mind you, none of them are easy ones. They are all so crucial that the wrong one can be fatal. In the game of chess, each and every move that you make is to be thought-out and planned strategically. And I feel like that is how life is. Whether it is the classes that you choose to take for a semester, where you choose to work, your plans for the upcoming summer or even who you surround yourself with. Each choice that you make as you get older plays a large role in life now and in the future.

With all of the options that life hands us, it is important that we make that right ones for ourselves. No one knows you better than you, and this is no one's life but your own! In the game of chess, your end result is to win, plain and simple. However, only you can chose to do that with each move that you make. As life moves on and we all grow up, it is important that each "move" that we make is to "win" in the end. And I don't mean win like a game or a special prize. As we get older, our "win" is to be happy and to have all of our dreams and goals be fulfilled.

If you are anything like me, the thought of getting older and having to "adult" is a very scary thought. I try to run from it on the regular, however, it always comes back hitting me smack in the face. And that's OK, it's all about how you handle it—dealing with it with grace, pride and knowing that what you chose to do will help shape you into the best you that you can be. In the game of chess, you can move forward and backward, and in life that's OK as well. Need to backtrack before you move forward? That's okay—sometimes it's not always clear as to what we should do, so we take a step back. The important thing, though, is that you don't stay there too long. Make sure that you are still moving forward.

I recently was faced with one of the hardest decisions I have had to make: my summer plans. Being a camp counselor, I had to decide if I was going to return for three months by this month! How am I supposed to know what I am going to do six months from now when I don't even know what I am gonna have for dinner? At college age, there are so many possibilities that are to be chosen from for the summer: take classes, go home, get an internship, work, travel, be a camp counselor and so many more. I didn't know what to do, and honestly, even after I chose, I am still reconsidering it. But just like in chess, once you take your hand off the piece you moved, there is no going back. You learn from here on out how to work around it and "win," even if it was not the best move. Some choices aren't easy—actually a lot of them as we get older aren't. But no one can make a decision for you!

It is important that when you are making decisions in life, no matter what it may be, that you are thinking about you. What is going to be best for you. Don't think about what your parents want or what your friends think, think about you. What do you want to do? What choice is going to be the best for you and your future plans? What choice are you going to win with?

So yes, getting older can be harder at times. And you will be faced with harder decisions, but that's life. Its inevitable. But just like in the game of chess, you make the moves and you decide what you want to do. Do what you want to do, not what other want you to do. This is your life, and you are in control.