Open Mind Will Open Doors

Knowing that life can take you absolutely anywhere is exciting to me, but also scary.  I often find myself having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I could wake up tomorrow with a new challenge that wasn't even on my radar.

I feel the real challenge of this idea is being accepting of whatever comes your way, for whatever change may come may not always be good. That idea alone is what scares me the most. I know there is no way to prevent the bad from happening, but knowing that there is still a potential is enough to stop me in my tracks.

But, you also can't live your life in fear of the bad things that will happen because there is no way to tell what is going to happen. If I had any idea where life was going to take me I probably wouldn't have changed my major 9 times.

Everything in life isn't bad and living in that anticipation only takes away your quality of life. So take chances and take risks because even failing could lead down a path greater than you ever imagined. For example, I had to try 9 different majors to find out I was good with money and math and a career as an accountant would be ideal for me.

Embrace the change as it comes, you will be surprise where it takes you. Whether you find yourself on a new career path or a new path in general, change may be bad at first but worth it in the long run. Everyone has a gift in this world, it is all how you use yours.

The early bird does get the worm but so does every other bird because there are more than enough worms the challenge is getting the worm. Having the fight and the drive will pay off in the long run. Knowing deep down that everything you do today will set you up for tomorrow.

So let's take a step back and not let fear drive our lives and experience life to the fullest. An open mind will open doors. But even a small change is still a change in the world. Now that I am done quoting cliches,  I hope you take some with you.

Remember it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it is the size of the fight in the dog. I talk from experience as a 5'2 lacrosse player.

Growing Up Won't Bring Us Down

One thing that I have been struggling with recently is growing up. Recently, I woke up and I wasn't 12 going to softball practice, I wasn't 15 going to golf practice, I wasn't 17 going to voice lessons.

As my aunt recently said to me, "I never knew my own morality until my parents got sick" and frankly until after this summer, I didn't believe her. I never realized how old I truly was or where I was in life until this summer.

Realizing this sucks. But I am fortunate to caught it when I did. I still have much of my life ahead of me, and I haven't lost that much time, I am just not a child anymore. Although thanks to my Irish lineage that I still look like a child.

Funny thing is that life does go on, all those times in high school when I swore my life was over, whether a stupid boy had broken my heart, or I was stressing college prep.  Life certainly did not care, as it still went on, time was still moving forward.

Given my track record recently, I have figure that if I keep a positive attitude and keep looking forward, I most certainly will carry on. I will be a-okay in the long run.

Irony of life right now is I am looking for apartments to rent, and unfortunately I do not know where I will end up, but I am grateful to be here in this position. As one of my least favorite things to be told, "baby steps".

I guess my take away from this is that I hope, whoever is reading this, you do carry on and you don't let the sheer terror of being an adult scare you from living your dreams.

Because eventually, your "baby steps" will add up, and you will be somewhere least expected and it will be great and it will be magical.

"And no matter what we do, we'll never lose what we had growing up"  -John O'Callaghan

Light Versus Dark

I am terrified of the dark. I have always slept with some kind of light on, whether a night light or the television. Moreover, I always found space travel especially terrifying. How do the astronauts not get scared about being launched into the great unknown?

The sheer thought of other life out there is super concerning to me. How does one just, you know, accept that when they go to fix a space station or explore a planet? I guess not so much more since they dramatically cut the funding.

I don't think my fear actually has to do with the lack of light but more of what it represents. Having little-to-no idea of what I am doing, and having the freedom to do whatever my heart pleases, within reason obviously, is honestly terrifying, yet eye opening. If I have the freedom to do whatever, why am I not taking it? Is it because of my fear of the dark? It all just seems weird to me. 

But think of all the good things that happen in the dark; a bonfire with friends, fireworks, star gazing, concerts. As with anything you have to take the good with the bad, but why not take your fears and appreciate the good that comes with them.

A photo posted by Finding Hannah (@findinghannahsmusic) on Nov 8, 2016 at 5:17pm PST

Living your life in fear is no way to live. Hell, you are hardly living at all. I have had friends who canceled plans because they felt that going to the bar downtown wasn't safe. Even though Detroit now is not the same Detroit even 10 years ago. Sometimes, stepping out of your comfort zone is a good thing. 

I may be afraid of the dark for the rest of my life, but letting it stop me from experiencing fireworks or bonfires isn't the way I aspire to live. Life always goes on, and if you stop and dwell, it will pass you by. 

"I sometimes have a tendency to walk on the dark side" -J.K. Rowling