Two Cents

1) I’m speaking from the position of the protector. I’m speaking from the position of someone who has never been sheltered from anything in life. Reality sets in at different times for all people. Hardships hit, we get our hearts broken, we discover that the world is not what we once thought it was, that people weren’t who we thought they were. We lose. We fall. We fail. It is the cycle of life. It happens to us all in due time.1

So enjoy being protected while it lasts. Let those who love you care for you. They have your best interest at heart even though it is annoying at times to have someone acting like your personal guard dog 24/7. Take my word on this though: if you didn’t have that person/people, you’d miss them terribly. I promise. Nothing is more terrifying than feeling completely on your own and alone. Nothing.2

What you desire is called inner strength. It comes from growing up, experiencing the sour side of life, and learning the lessons those hardships had to teach you. It is in your hands whether or not you sit on the side lines. That has nothing to do with being protected. That has to do with your own drive. Take leaps. Do what you think is best, even when it scares you within an inch of your life. Got your eye on a guy? Talk to him. Want the lead part in the school play? Try out. Want to get a story publish? Start submitting to publishing companies. I’m not going to promise you that everything is going to pan out wonderfully. The funny thing about playing in the game instead of cheering people on is that, those who play, run risk of getting hurt. Being in the action so to speak isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. But in the end, it gives you life experience and it helps you get to know who you really are and what you truly want out of life. Don’t worry about other people seeing you as strong. Worry about you finding yourself strong. Others don’t set your limits or live your life. That’s all on you. Put yourself first.3

2) There is some sort of preconceived notion that you MUST know what you want to do with the rest of your life before you get out of high school. This is simply unrealistic. The average collage student changes their major at least four times before they graduate. Find a collage that offers classes in each of the things you are considering doing as a career. You don’t actually get heavily into your major courses until you’re a junior in collage, so spend your first two years taking classes that interest you. Stick with the one that clicks best.4