After twenty years of living I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing more true or important in life than to do what makes you happy. Despite all the great things I have been blessed with during my lifetime, I consider myself a person who often carries a lot of anxiety and worry. I come from a small “mainline” suburb outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and I attended a small all-girls, private catholic school growing up. During my younger years I felt a lot of pressure to “keep up,” whether it was concerning school, money, looks, clothes etc. The environment that I grew up in made it difficult for anyone to simply be themselves. I constantly felt worry to remain “in check” and I am sure I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
As I became older, my anxieties and worries started to feel more real to me and my father was one person I turned to most during my state of constant mental break downs. Every time I would flip out over little things, like having two tests in one week or missing the “mainline mixer” on Friday, my father gave me the same advice each time. He continuously told me to “take a deep breath, go do something that makes you happy for just 15 minutes and get a grip on your life.” As an immature and hormonal teenager, I never understood why my father insisted on feeding me the same old advice but what I did know was that his motto in life has always been “do what makes you happy.”
When I first arrived to college I naturally followed the same path as all my high school friends. I joined the same sororities, met the same new people and took all the same courses. After some time of living on my own, I began to feel lost. I had zero interests in any of the classes I was taking, I lacked any determination and I found myself constantly questioning my purpose in life. To “get a grip” during this hectic time in my life, I began to follow my father’s advice more than ever. I made sure to do one thing a day that brought me joy and from those little things, I believe I have discovered my true passions in life. I finally began to feel like I could be myself and not be ashamed. Up until recently I had been following my peers, doing things that I felt were expected of me and ultimately not thinking for myself. Through personal experiences and from my father’s words of wisdom, I came to the realization that the only way to have a clear perspective on life and live up to my full potential, I have to do what makes ME happy. Over the years I have discovered things that truly bring me joy and because of those discoveries, I have made important changes regarding my education and life-long goals.
The part that describes your worry and anxiety is good, but more should be added to explain the change and what positive effects it brings to your life, so that you truly believe in this now.