Everyone has a mental image of what they believe their life should be like. When I was 15, I thought that I would attend culinary school and own my own five-star restaurant by the time I was 30. However, now I'm a 21-year-old film major who has no idea what I'm going to do after college. I have no idea where I'll live or where I'll find work. I have no idea if I'm going to immediately find a job in my field after college, or if I'm going to be working in a restaurant as a waitress to pay bills while I freelance on the side. There is a lot of uncertainty in life, and honestly, our lives almost never turn out the way we pictured when we were 15. Yet just because our life may not turn out the way we expect doesn't mean it's not a happy life.
Halfway through my Junior year of high school, I had to move from Ohio to Kentucky. I had to leave a small school I loved for a much larger school that I tolerated. I was leaving behind friends I had been with since 8th grade for people I would never truly get to know. I had moved a lot in the past but this was by far the hardest. I didn't want to move, and I was convinced that my senior year of high school would be the crappiest year of my life. But like I said before, although life doesn't turn out the way we expect, it doesn't mean we can't be happy. At my new school I was able to take multiple AP classes that my old school didn't offer. I was able to get college credit and still graduated as a valedictorian. I met new teachers who impacted me greatly, and my perspective on life changed so drastically. But what's my point?
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The point is, if I hadn't experienced that low point in my life I would never have seen the high points that have defined me today. I would never have expanded my perspective and, ultimately, would not be where I am today. If I hadn't have moved from Ohio to Kentucky, I believe I would have ended up at University of Michigan (which was my top college choice at the time). If I hadn't moved, I would never have heard about Asbury University. I would never have chosen Asbury, never started playing lacrosse, and never met the close friends I have today. My life is drastically different than I thought it would be when I was 15, but I can't imagine a happier life than the one I have now.
I am a firm believer that happiness is a choice. Unfortunately, it isn't a choice that comes easily. The road to happiness isn't always plowed. Sometimes there's black ice, snow drifts, etc. Nothing worth having comes easy. There will be times when life sucks. Just like there will be times when life seems awesome. Life is a series of ups and downs and plateaus. Happiness, however, doesn't have to be that way. We can choose to wallow in self-pity during the lows of our lives, or we can choose to look up to see that the lows don't last forever.
Whether you're at the peak of one of life's highs or the lowest part of a low, remember that there is always something to be joyful about. Happiness doesn't come easily, but you can always find it. The road may not be plowed, but that's why you have four-wheel drive. So push through and find the reasons to be happy.
