“The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.” – Unknown
Every time I sit down to write this column, I usually find my mind blank, and I feel very uninspired. The blank white page and the blinking cursor seem to be mocking me, laughing at the fact I have no idea what to write about. My mind is still slightly groggy from sleep. I’ve guzzled down a cup and a half of coffee, and still haven’t gotten very far.
Sometimes I like to look up inspirational quotes in hopes of finding one to spark some creativity, and in my search this morning I stumbled across the aforementioned quote: “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”
It stood out to me for some reason. I’m pretty sure it’s because of the not-so-ordinary lifestyle I’ve chosen. People who hear about my situation tend to be slightly confused, and with good reason. I’m 18, not graduated from high school yet, have a full-time job and pretty much take care of myself. I chose to grow up fast, and sometimes it’s overwhelming. The responsibility put on me is great, and I’m determined to prove to everyone I can handle it.
I’m sure we’ve all had that something we wanted to do that seemed almost impossible: chasing after your dreams, being the best at something, winning a contest, whatever it may be. Those things you’re so determined to be successful at, you know nothing is going to stop you from achieving it. Even if you’ve failed in the past, or the future doesn’t look very bright, my advice is this: never give up. It’s original, right? However cliché it may be, it’s some of the best advice I’ve ever received.
There’s no better feeling than achieving your goal after putting in long amounts of time working for it while people tell you, “There’s no way you’re going to do this.” My goal of making this whole “living on my own, taking online classes, keeping a full-time job and staying in a happy, year-long relationship,” is something I’m determined to accomplish. I want to prove to everyone the past year and some odd months were just a small bump in the road of a happy, successful life.
Apart from being a struggle, my life has been going pretty great lately. I’m happy, I’ve got my future (kind of) planned out, and I’m going down a road I feel good about. My dad always used to tell me how time flies the older you get, and I hadn’t really noticed until now. But now life is coming at me full force, and I’m ready for it. No matter what, I will succeed, I will come out on top, and I will do what people think I can’t. I promise.
