Over the past six months, I have realized something that will change how I continue to live the rest of my life:

Life has no rules.

I'm assuming the most common response to my statement is, "Uhh, yeah, there are so many rules you idiot," and for a long time, I would've responded the same way. You grow up and you follow the rules of your parents. It is the legal rule to attend school, and while you're there you follow the rules set by the administration. You must always put school first so you can go to college. You must go to college and follow the rules to do well and get a career. You get a job and follow the rules of the company. You become an adult and follow the rules of the government and social rules defined by your peers. But after evaluating my most recent and past experiences, it dawned on me that while we have to somewhat stick to the guidelines we have created for ourselves, life really is what you decide to do with it. While actually having this choice can be difficult in a patriarchal, capitalist society (especially after major social or economic hardships where individuals are held responsible for circumstances they can't always control), it can simply be a matter of choice for those who are fortunate enough.

My statement is mostly geared towards my peers, especially those coming out of high school or who are about to face the "adult" or "real" world.

Our society is structured on doing well in school, going to college, getting a degree and soon after a well paying "important" job. We are raised to eventually sell our bodies and minds to whoever sees us fit enough to make them money. But why? Why do we expect our upcoming generations to go down the same path? And why do we look down upon those who don't?

After almost three semesters in college, not a day goes by where I haven't questioned why I decided to go to college. Usually, the answer is because I want to learn, I want to become smarter and strengthen and build the skills I offer to the rest of society. But does that have to happen in a traditional four-year college setting? I'm sure that I am not the only 19-year old out there who thinks that maybe this college thing wasn't the right decision, who wishes that they had more time in high school to explore other options without feeling ridiculed for even imagining a future that didn't immediately involve college. I remember senior year the thrill that went into finding out what everyone had planned for their future, aka, what college everyone was going to. I also remember hearing about the kids who weren't going to college right away and thinking, "Wow, I hope they aren't screwing themselves over" or "They're seriously not going to school??". The rules and expectations we've set just don't work for everyone, and because of the pressure placed on us to conform, there's a strong sense of negativity or misunderstanding cast upon those who choose different paths. And to those people I say:

I get it now, and I'm sorry.

At this age, so many people are unsure of what they want to do, and a lot of us feel like we're failing because of that. But not having a plan, not going to college, not immediately jumping into a career, is absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, okay. There are no real rules, and I believe that the stress and difficulties presented to us are only worth it if we have a source of happiness in our lives. Yes we have to work to make money, and yes we have to learn how to play the system, but we don't have to take the same journey as everyone else to arrive at the same destination. We might not always have a choice in what happens to us, but when we do, it's important that we do what is right for us and not what everyone else says is right for us.

I will not live my life in accordance to the "rules," but in accordance to myself.