When I was younger the night before school would start, I used to sit up all night in anticipation of the possibilities of a new school year.  I would make resolutions to myself that I would make friends with certain people, make great grades, be better at the violin and it would be the best year imaginable.

As I got older starting high school and then eventually college, I stopped having those daydreams.  In college, I was usually too preoccupied thinking about how I was going to work to pay bills with my school schedule. The real world sort of extinguished that flame of ambition I carried for my future.

It shouldn’t be like that though.

I have this amazingly-wise friend who told me one night we are far more in control of our happiness than we give ourselves credit for. I think we have a tendency to overcomplicate our lives, place more important in frivolous things than necessary.  We over-analyze our social interactions; we stress about superficial things like our belongings or what we lack.  He told me most of the time our own unhappiness is brought upon ourselves by refusing to make a change or being to afraid to and we have the opportunities to make ourselves happy. Life doesn’t have to be so complicated. I wrote this friend off as idealistic, but then I realized something about him; he is almost always smiling and happy.

So, I want to encourage all of you to embrace this year. If an opportunity presents itself, take it. Take chances, run the risk of looking like a fool and go out of your way to ask someone to hang out- don’t wait to be asked. If something bothers you this year, change it. Join a club. Learn an instrument. Take up a new hobby. Whatever it is, just try something outside of your comfort zone. Why not? I guarantee you’ll remember the times you did something out of the ordinary and exciting more than you’ll remember the times you stayed at home watching TV because you were too afraid to get out there and try something that made you nervous.

This is the time in our lives we start shaping who we are for ourselves. We learn, grow and discover what we do and don’t believe in. College is an interesting time in life and I want each of you to walk away at the end of your collegiate career feeling like you did everything you could to make sure you had one of the most rewarding times of your life.

A quick shout out the freshman: this year is going to be nothing like you had expected. You’re going to feel overwhelmed, lonely and lost most of the time.  However, at the same time you’ll feel incredibly free, young, alive and productive. It all balances out. Just keep your head up, shoulders back and try to keep everything in perspective.

And hey, if you want something new in your life why not write for the Shield?