Change Can Be Good

One of the lessons I have been learning this year is to embrace the changes in my life. Change can be scary and often feels like the wrong thing, but whether it is right or wrong, you’ll never know unless you try it. If something in your life feels wrong or you feel you could be happier, a change might be in order. After you take that step, don’t immediately retreat back to the way things were.

Be brave.

Give yourself a chance to trust yourself.

This isn’t always an easy thing to do, believe me I know. Over Christmas break I decided to make a change in my relationship and try being on my own. After over two years with the same guy, I instantly felt like I made the wrong decision. I was out of my comfort zone and could only focus on the way things used to be. With the help of my friends and mom, inspirational Pinterest quotes, and the lyrics of Ingrid Michelson, I decided that I needed to trust my instincts and see what would happen.

In the past month, I’ve become a more independent person and am more willing to accept challenges and opportunities that lead to unforeseen places. I’ve branched out more, have made new friends and I have gained self-confidence.  I can’t fall back on my boyfriend to continuously act as my confidence boost- I have to find it within myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I still struggle at times with the fact that we are no longer together. The change is really hard. I also like to think that after I have more time to focus on myself, we will get back together. But the important thing to remember is that I would have never known if I hadn’t embraced the change. Without taking that step, I would never know the personal growth I could have or what else was out there for me.

Change is foreign and scary but sometimes one small step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.

Make Time to Make Memories

As a student who is very dedicated to my school work and grades I know that life in school can seem overwhelming. There are so many days when I feel like finishing all of my assignments, studying for exams, and working on group projects just won’t get done because there’s too much. It can be very stressful and feels like all you can focus on. But what I have to sometimes remind myself is that years from now I’m not going to remember all the nights that I avoided friends, going out, or laughing historically in the living room. I’m going to remember working hard at my grades but I’m not going to remember individual times, it’s just going to be one big blur of studying.

When I force myself to take a break and do something random on a weekday night like staying up till 3 a.m. live tweeting a High School Musical marathon with my sisters, or seeing a play, or celebrating a friends 21st birthday, I know that I will always remember. I know that when I look back on college, those are the nights that I’m going to remember and look fondly on. Tonight I went to an event with my sorority sisters where we paired with a fraternity and learned different ballroom dancing styles. We all dressed up, gathered in the big ball room, had little appetizers, and had a blast learning dances and getting to know each other.

Moral of the story, keep your grades up. Don’t fall too behind in classes and neglect what you are responsible to finish. However with that being said, don’t neglect your friends. Don’t be afraid to put your homework aside to have a fun time because if you’re a good student, you will always find time to get it done. Make time to make memories.