Here is your sign. It’s time to wake up.

We all have our own reasons for being in college. The reasons are as diverse as the individuals here at the university, and I’m not telling you the right reason for being here. But for whatever ambition that brought you here to NIU, remember that reason. I know that since we’re in college, we have a lot on our plates. Life seems to be a muddle of work, papers and friends. Remember that original reason and work towards it. If you aren’t sure of one, or came here for motivations that no longer hold any place in your heart, take a step back and look at what you’re doing, and what you want to do.

Earlier in the semester, I had gone into auto-pilot, and was just living day-by-day, thinking I had to do everything because it was there to do. A lot of people kept saying I have to do this, I need to do that, and I followed without having my priorities in mind. Soon I had lost my purpose of being here and felt that everything I did was a chore.

When I started to want to give up everything —all of my work, my schooling, my career—and just go curl up in a corner, it hit me that I needed to figure things out. I had never felt like that before. I had finally discovered and surpassed my limits, and I wasn’t sure how to fix everything. I paused everything, and re-evaluated my life. I ended up asking why to everything I did. Answers started to click into place. I remembered my reasons, my motivations and my ambitions. Once I had my goals set out in front of me, I began looking at everything I do, and anything that I didn’t truly love to do and which interfered with my final goal, I quit. It was that simple, and it’s not a bad thing to quit doing anything if it doesn’t help you achieve your final goal.

Not everyone has a mission statement and that’s fine. A lot of us aren’t sure what the future may hold, but there has to be some dream of a person you want to be or a goal you want to achieve. Why not go for that? Trying things, failing and getting up again is the process of life. Whether it’s to graduate with a master’s in psychology or have a healthy family, finding a goal will help jump start the process of prioritizing. With our priorities in check, the future looks a bit clearer.

Stop wandering around in the dark. Just do your best, and do everything you can. It’ll be OK.