The best part about being a child was being able to dream big and allowing your imagination to roam freely. You could be anyone you wanted to be point blank. Somehow as we get older it seems as though our imagination decreases. It becomes harder to dream big or think outside the box when we have other things to think about.

'What do you want to be when you grow up' was the easiest question to answer as a child. Lawyer, astronaut, princess, or in my case a cheerleader. Parents and teachers went along with these answers because they didn't want to crush our big dreams.

Once we get to high school, we are asked the same question, only this time we need to be more realistic. For years it was acceptable to have wild answers due to our broad imaginations. Some people stick to their answers like a lawyer, while others are lost for words. We don't want to dream too big because it may not be possible.

Entering high school, I tried out for the cheerleading team remembering my younger dreams of becoming one. As an extracurricular activity this was a dream come true, but as a career, not so practical. Throughout these four years, we are pressured to figure out our future, but make sure they are possible to achieve. Our dreams became questionable because that excitement behind our answer we had as a child was slowly drifting.

After you graduate high school, we are now asked what are we going to do with our lives. Some people join the military, some go straight into the working field, and others go to college. Now is the chance to turn those big dreams into possibilities, but where do we start? The future seems so far away in the eyes of a teenager. We are invincible to what the world throws our way, without recognizing what reality truly looks like.

What happened to my imagination?

I am now a sophomore in college, and reality has certainly hit me. Unfortunately, I am no longer a cheerleader. With that said, my childhood dream has outgrown me, but I have new dreams. I have learned to channel my inner child instincts to dream big and set goals for myself. I may not be invincible against the world, but my dreams have never shined so bright.

Our imaginations never left, it is simply lost waiting to be found. You are never too old to dream big or set a goal for "the impossible." Sure, a majority of us will never become a princess or get the chance to view how beautiful the galaxy looks in person, but we still have a chance to make our dreams come true. Trust your instinct just like you did as a child.