Trust in the timing of your life. It’s a phrase that has become my anthem.

A mere few months ago I flipped my tassel from my safe haven of college to the terrifying unknown of the working world. With that single transfer on my graduation cap, I ended one journey and braced myself to begin another.

It all reminded me of the last time I flipped a tassel: my high school graduation. Coming from a tiny private school I had no idea what to expect from college. I knew what I thought I wanted: small, liberal arts school with an emphasis on creativity. Instead, I was handed a huge state university with an emphasis on football, day drinking, and more buses than I’d ever seen in my life. To say the least, I was terrified.

Today, I love UGA with all my heart. But I must confess that I cried the day I signed my commitment, and they were not tears of joy. It was my second-to-last back-up school but free tuition (shoutout to my man Mr. Zell Miller) was too good to resist. Visions of drunk rednecks ran through my brain, hooting and hollering as they waved red and black flags. I couldn’t imagine how I, a conservative goody-two-shoes, would fit into such a place.

But on my first day of orientation, I made a promise to myself: I vowed to be happy here, no matter what. And that’s exactly what I did. That choice made all the difference, changing my attitude and allowing me to see what UGA really was.

Much to my surprise, I quickly realized the stereotypes were just that: stereotypes.

And thus began four of the best years of my life, meeting my best friends, becoming involved in incredible organizations, and growing exponentially in my identity and sense of self. (Spoiler alert: I’m no longer conservative or quite as much of a goody-two-shoes). I learned to love cheering for the Dawgs, sweat dripping down my sundress, dehydrated lungs bursting with the chants of the Redcoat band. The cries in that stadium were, for me, an anthem to my love for Athens and for the people who made it home.

And so, as I embark upon this next journey, I am equally hesitant. My tears are not tears of joy. I’m told to “pursue my dream,” even though I have no idea what that may be. The real world looms overhead, bringing with it loads of dollar signs and decisions.

It’s times like these that question us, push us forward, and challenge us to find what we truly stand for. Who are we really? What do we want? How will we change the world? Those are some of the simplest yet hardest questions of humankind. The kind we dedicate a lifetime to searching for the answers.

The universe, or God, or whatever you believe in, placed me where I needed to be four years ago, transcending even my best attempts. That same force will place me where I belong for the next four years. In the midst of this terrifying unknown, that is one thing I know for certain.

Trust in the timing of your life. You are where you are meant to be. Be at peace with that. And don’t forget to enjoy the ride!

Trying to think of an article subject has daunted me for a few weeks now.

What will I write about? Will people like it? Will it resonate with others?

A plethora of questions weighed down my brain until I realized I needed to start writing; even if I wasn’t sure where this would end up, I needed to begin. Then through my confusion, brainstorming, and quite honestly, procrastination, I found my topic: being unsure.

As I prepare to graduate from James Madison University in less than two weeks, I am sure about one thing…how unsure I am. I am unsure about this article, I am unsure about my post-graduation life, I am unsure about my feelings towards leaving this lovely place I have called home for the past four years. But as much as it can feel like something to be ashamed of or embarrassed by, I will scream it.

I will say it out loud, I will even put it in writing: I’M UNSURE!

And you know what? This is one of the few times in my life where my uncertainty, my “unsure-ness” isn’t completely frightening. Yes, it is terrifying at times but I am so young. I have years ahead of me to be sure and certain in my choices and decisions. But for now, I choose to be unsure. I challenge you to be unsure as well. It is liberating, exhilarating and dare I say, empowering.

I would argue the majority of students in my place (dreading graduation that is) are unsure. We don’t know what we are doing once we graduate, we don’t know what we are doing in five years, let alone five months or even in five minutes. But I have come to find the beauty in that. We can finally make our own paths, our own plans, and our own journeys. We don’t have required courses to take in the fall or papers to submit by a specific date. For now, we have a slight glimpse of freedom.

To anyone going through this stage in life, ‘the stage of being unsure’, bask in all this moment has to offer. Find your passion in life—the thing that drives you, motivates you, gets you up in the morning (besides that big ole’ cup of coffee) and go after it. Chase it. Do it. Dream it. Achieve it. Until you find this passion, embrace your ‘unsureness’ because you have the rest of your life to be sure.

Image by Madeleine Bloxam

(Written by Martinique McCrory)

My junior year at Georgia Southern University was coming to a close and already I was coming down with the early symptoms of the massive plague that is Senioritis. For those unaware, senioritis is defined by the internet dictionary as “a supposed affliction of students in their final year of high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance.”

As illegitimate as it seems, senioritis can be a very real thing for any student finishing up their last year of schooling. After three years of last-minute studying, panic-inducing homework, and tear-inducing grades, many students come up on their senior year feeling either worn out to the point of detachment, or anxious to the brink of depression about the future ahead.

People joke that with senioritis comes sweatpants, numerous absences, and a general IDGAF attitude.

I was feeling very much the same way as junior semester ended and I was looking into internships and post-college job opportunities with little motivation and a lot of anxiety. Something had to be done. As silly as it may sound, something clicked deep within my subconscious and the next day I remembered Jim Carrey’s 2008 movie, Yes Man. A movie based on the premise that saying “yes” to everything opens up more positive and rewarding experiences in life.

Obviously I wasn’t going to say “yes” to literally everything asked of me, but I realized that over the course of three years at the university, I had certainly learned the power of “no” a little too well. No, I do not want to go Claire’s party on a Tuesday. No, professor, I don’t have time to go to French club’s meetings on Fridays. No, I can’t volunteer on Saturday mornings.

I had gotten into the habit of shunning anything that didn’t involve sleep or anything that I didn’t consider to be worth my precious time and effort.

The practice had left me feeling more drained and pessimistic about life. Moreover, I was missing out on the things that made college exciting in the first place. So I challenged myself to never be too tired for anything, and to accept nearly all the invitations that floated my way. This included giving rides to my friends who didn’t have cars and attending more school-sponsored events.

Less than a week later, I was zipping around from place to place like a chicken with its head cut off – it was exhilarating. Every day was new and exciting. I sang, poorly, in the French talent show and scored major points with my Conversational French professor.

I was a trixie in the city’s shadow cast performance of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and got to throw condoms out to the audience. I accepted a summer internship in Savannah for a political campaign and fell in love with the city immediately. By the time my senior semester ended, I had written for three separate organizations, corresponded with the talented poet Stephen Burt, performed and happily embarrassed myself in two big dance competitions, and cemented stronger connections with my professors and friends guaranteed to last a lifetime.

My advice to anyone catching senioritis, or anyone that finds themselves in a slump, is to challenge yourself to say yes more. Push yourself, even when you’re feeling tired, to go out and do something–anything. The momentum of energy will carry itself to all other aspects of your life and leave you feeling more motivated, more happy, and less afraid.