#Live #Enjoy #Achieve #Develop

I wish someone had reminded me of this more often. You are you and you couldn’t find someone who was made up of the same wonderful characteristics as you are even if you looked forever. Be proud of that. Care about yourself, love yourself, and be yourself. Going into college, especially going away to college, you suddenly find yourself (literally) in an entirely new world made up of entirely new people. It is an exciting time, a new adventure, and it can be a wonderful test of your personal independence and growth. But it can also be a test of your recognizing that you are who you are for many reasons. You do not have to be who other people want (or expect) you to be. And you do not have to feel pressure from other people around you. You never have to do what other people are doing or join something you know is not a good idea.

Your actions, too, bring these values to life every day. Sometimes in our generation, people seem to accept that things are the way they are and that they have no power to change them. That is a lie. Every day is a chance to change and make things right, a chance to take action steps toward the person you want to be and know you can become. Never underestimate your ability to keep the best pieces of you and to change anything that does not serve you or others.