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The class of 2013 motto inspired me: \u201cLife is not about finding yourself; life is about creating yourself\u201d (George Bernard Shaw). And it\u2019s true. You won\u2019t become your best self by following the pack. You have seek out those things that will create the version of yourself you want to see in the mirror every morning. And honestly, that\u2019s the scariest thing of all. But it\u2019s also the bravest thing of all. And for that reason, I decided that I had to take the biggest risk of my life: pursue my dreams of becoming a novelist. <\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve always been a dreamer. I never wanted to be like anyone else. Where there was a path, I took a different route. I\u2019ve always felt that I had to follow my dreams, which got me to thinking about the difference between living and existing. <\/span>What is this difference? Do we live to exist? Or exist to live? I find it to be like this: existing is going to that 9 to 5 job everyday that you don\u2019t enjoy. It may bring in money, but it doesn\u2019t satisfy you, it doesn\u2019t make you want to be better, learn more, or seek out the utmost happiness. Then there is living. Living is doing what you love. Maybe this doesn\u2019t produce much money, but at least you can say at the end of the day that you\u2019re doing what you love, that you\u2019re happy, that you\u2019re following your dream. I\u2019ve always found this to be a writer\u2019s existence. We write because it makes us happy; that is really all we can ask for. I feel alive when I write; I can express myself in ways that I never knew were possible. This is my dream. And I will have a strong conviction to follow it. And you should, too, whatever those dreams may be.<\/p>\n Also, I knew I wouldn\u2019t be happy with a 9 to 5 job staring at a computer all day long. And that doesn\u2019t make that career undesirable, I just knew, for me personally, that it wasn\u2019t my dream. And that\u2019s why I chose to pursue screenwriting. And that\u2019s probably why all of my screenwriting peers in the School of Film and Television chose the same path. We knew we had to have a taste of the thing we loved so much. <\/span><\/p>\n Of course, I knew I was taking a gamble with this taste of the creative, unpredictable world. I knew that we creative types don\u2019t automatically get jobs until several or more months after graduation. Family and friends would constantly tell me, after hearing that I was pursuing something unconventional, that the path wouldn\u2019t be easy, and that I was entering a competitive field. But isn\u2019t every field competitive? And don\u2019t we all, regardless of our dreams, have to work hard to pursue our dreams? Needless to say, those comments didn\u2019t deter me from my dreams of being a writer. <\/span><\/p>\n But sometimes those comments would upset me. I remember one family member telling me that business or computer science or engineering were much smarter choices. And he\u2019s probably right. But that doesn\u2019t mean those majors were the right choices for me. I would\u2019ve felt incompetent in any major outside of screenwriting. If there\u2019s anything I\u2019ve learned in this life, it\u2019s that we have to do what makes us happy. <\/span><\/p>\n As the end of college looms above our heads, I ask you all to do one thing. Figure out what makes you happy. Some of you have, I\u2019m sure. And I\u2019ll be honest: knowing is just as scary as not knowing. So what makes you happy? Is it the outdoors? Is it the cool job somewhere far away from home? Is it following someone you love to another city? It could be anything. But you must understand that these choices force you to adjust. You can choose whatever life you want. Your opportunities are endless. And that\u2019s pretty spectacular. But at the end of the day, you must ask yourself if that\u2019s all worth it. If it isn\u2019t, then you\u2019ll never adjust. And that doesn\u2019t make you weak. But it does show that your happiness lies elsewhere, maybe in a different field. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that. But if you dislike something so much, and you\u2019ve kept an open mind for the most part, then your answer is further away than you would\u2019ve expected. We\u2019ve all searched for something more, and then quickly realized that our passions are where our hearts are. And that\u2019s okay: it makes us human. And we humans must be inspired to thrive. <\/span><\/p>\n So do what inspires you! Do what you\u2019re passionate about. Don\u2019t ever think that you can\u2019t do something. You can always achieve your dreams; you just have to have three things: faith, utter passion, and undying drive. With faith, you will understand that trials and tribulations will emerge, and you will still believe in yourself through these obstacles. With utter passion, you won\u2019t give up for the easy route; you will always take the harder, more rewarding route. And with undying drive, you will convince those around you that you\u2019re determined to follow through, no matter the stakes. And sometimes this difficult path will make you unhappy or you\u2019ll lose your confidence. That\u2019s normal. But it\u2019s how you overcome this fear of succeeding that matters. You can\u2019t expect to be happy every day. But if you\u2019re happy most of the time, then you\u2019re in the right place. That\u2019s all that matters. <\/span><\/p>\n And if you\u2019re like me, and you don\u2019t have a clear path yet, that\u2019s okay. We don\u2019t have all the answers at twenty-two. If we did, we\u2019d all be millionaires by now! So promise me that you\u2019ll do this: Focus on today. Not tomorrow. Not yesterday. Don\u2019t worry about what you have to do. That doesn\u2019t make life easier. Life will work itself out if you put in the effort. You can do anything you set your mind to. So always believe in yourself. I believe in you. <\/span><\/p>\n So be brave, follow your dream. You won\u2019t regret living.<\/p>\n And congratulations, class of 2013! <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The class of 2013 motto inspired me: \u201cLife is not about finding yourself; life is about creating yourself\u201d (George Bernard Shaw). And it\u2019s true. You won\u2019t become your best self by following the pack. You have seek out those … Continue reading