Graduation is just weeks away. Seniors are in denial. Whether the next stop is graduate school or straight into the job-hunting process, this is a high-stress time. When you get that job offer that you weren’t too thrilled about applying for or your acceptance letter from your seventh choice graduate school comes in the mail, it’s easy to just accept it even though you know it wasn’t your ideal.
Even if we may have found ourselves settling all throughout college, you don’t have to follow that trend of accepting mediocrity after graduation. Why settle on these major decisions when there may be better opportunities waiting for you on the other side?
We are terrified of change, even if we know it could be for the better. When we don’t know what comes next in life, taking risks seems… well, too risky. The thought of failure is something we can’t come to terms with no matter how much we hear that it is part of life. We fantasize about an unrealistic, perfect lifestyle but we think there is no way that it’s attainable. Fear of the unknown is paralyzing but mediocrity is even more detrimental to success.
Drifting in your set ways can start to be unhealthy when you start saying “no” to things that seem too scary and “yes” to things that don’t truly excite you. If you have high hopes, hold onto them.
You don’t need to accept a job you’re not interested in just because it’s the first offer. You don’t need to say yes to a graduate school where you don’t see the potential. You don’t need to stay in the comfort zone of your home state if you see yourself in a big city. You don’t need to stay with your significant other who doesn’t bring out the best in you. You don’t need to keep living a life that isn’t what you dreamed of.
Life is way too short to settle for less than you deserve because once you start to settle, you always will. Settling even once stops you from embracing your full potential in life. If you want to revolutionize your life and live in a way that brings you true happiness and excitement every day, you need to demand the best and never accept anything less than that. You never have to apologize for having high standards, and you should always know the difference between what you’re getting and what you deserve.
Life may be harder if you don’t settle, but in the end you will be happier than you could have ever imagined. Besides, working hard for something makes you a real woman. Real women are strong, resilient, independent and, most importantly, they never settle. So after graduation, don’t be afraid to say “no” to the mundane and “yes” to something that may seem a little crazy because in the end, you will be glad you did.
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