I would have to say that my life has been pretty great. I grew up in a suburb in Fort Lauderdale and I’ve never had to worry about money. I’ve had a great relationship with my family and friends, and I’ve skated through life. That all changed when I got to college.
I remember dreaming of the day that I could finally be on my own; I would finally be an adult. Little did I know, college would have a lot in store for me and each day would bring about new knowledge and experiences.
I absolutely love Emory and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. That being said, it hasn’t been all “rainbows and unicorns” either.
As expected, moving 
away from home was a lot to handle. It was tough abandoning everything I knew and going to a place where I had one close friend. I’d been to Georgia a few times for summer camp, but I’ve never veered that far from home.
Home was comfortable and I knew every nook and cranny of it.
The first few months of my freshman year I partied a lot. I would go out two or three times a week because I hadn’t experienced parties in high school.
I never got invited to the “cool kids parties” so going to college parties, the ones that I’ve seen in movies and shows, made me ecstatic. Night after night it was the same party at the same house with the same people, but I was so hyped up about the idea of being at a frat party. Partying was merely an activity, not a definition of who I was, yet I let the thrill of it take over my life.
Freshman year is a tough time for most people, but last year I lost everything.
I lost my sense of self and my closest friends.
One night had led to a complete downward spiral in my life. That’s what inspired me to change. Although I’m not comfortable with disclosing the 
event, I will say that those who know me personally understand.
To say the least this event was life-changing. It made me realize that I needed to change myself to live the life I wanted.
Going through a rough time wasn’t a new concept to me. I had always had the same routine when dealing with anxiety and depression-eating my feelings through pints of Ben and Jerry’s, venting to people, journaling, and all of the other typical ways people talk about dealing with hard times. There’s one book that has constantly been a mood-booster, and that is “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne.
At first glance, it seems like “hocus pocus.” Can you actually attract anything into your life? How can it be as simple as just thinking about what you want?
The stories seem so exaggerated and fake. There’s absolutely no way that someone can go from rock bottom and end up on top just by changing their mindset. All of these skeptic thoughts ran through my head, but then I actually tried it, and the results were shocking.
Basically, the bo
ok preaches this idea of “the law of attraction,” which means that you attract everything that comes to you.
The easiest way to describe the theory is similar to changing the channel on TV. If you want to switch channels, you press a button, which then changes the frequency. This is the same thing with the law of attraction.
Positivity and negativity are both on separate frequency wavelengths and thoughts are your remote control.
This is great for control-freaks like me. Fate isn’t determined by your horoscope or things you can’t control.
The book also preaches a process of three simple steps: “Ask”, “Believe”, and “Receive.” It’s as simple as asking the universe for what you want, believing that you have it, and eventually receiving it.
Three simple steps.
The key, though, is patience.
Which is something that I lack. While anxiously am awaiting to see what the future has for me, I like reflecting on the things that I’m thankful for in my life-by starting out with the little things, and eventually building up to the big ones.
Today, I’ve completely changed my point of view. I have so many close connections in my life, I found a home in Greek Life, I meet new people every day, and I’m finally happy to wake up and see what life has to offer. Without the knowledge from The Secret, I would be completely lost.
