Big Dreams, Little People

EMILY KONG

Co-Opinions Editor

It’s over. It’s really over. Or so we think.

If you’re anything like me, still reeling from the pain of every single rejection letter you have received so far, you’ll probably want to go back to the days when everything was so much easier.

There was no stopping us; we could be whatever we wanted and there was absolutely no one who had the power to stand in our way. Maybe our parents had something to say, but who really listens to them? I, myself, wanted to be everything—an astronaut, a singer, a physicist (I can promise you that is not going to happen), a policewoman and a marine biologist. All at the same time.

When we got older, we realized ambitious dreams were impossible to achieve. Our abilities fell short of our aspirations. We grew up and found that not everything we wanted would come as easily as we wished. High school made that perfectly clear.

As soon as we entered freshman year, we were faced with an onslaught of obstacles that prevented us from getting anything to go our way. If you got over those difficult times, then great—you’re much stronger than many of us combined. However, if you were left a little bit crazy in the wake of a seemingly endless stream of rejection letters over the last few months, then great—you’re normal.

If it feels as if nothing is ever going your way, it is not something to be surprised about. Just because some hardship keeps us from accomplishing a goal doesn’t mean that it will stand in the way of our dreams forever.

Whatever it is that is making you feel discouraged, think back to those rejection letters and crazy dreams. You’ll eventually discover that those colleges and dreams didn’t work out because they weren’t fit for you. After that, whatever path you decide to take will lead you exactly where you need to be, where your dreams have been all along.

No matter how ridiculous our dreams may sound, with a little bit of confidence and optimism, we can make all of our big dreams a reality, no matter how small we are. So it’s not over; it’s just begun.