Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Emmanuel chapter.

                                                                                                   Photo courtesy of Unsplash

Sometimes, you think you have your life perfectly together. You’ve made all of these totally feasible plans that you have a set path for, a path that can’t easily be strayed from. And then it happens. Something completely unexpected falls in your lap and your brain spends so much time wrapping itself around the fact that it happened, you suddenly have no interest in your previous plans. This is the perfect time to learn more about yourself and not bother with the needs of others. You need to learn to love you, and that isn’t a bad thing.

All it takes is a second. You witness something, you experience the unexpected, and you realize whatever it is you’re doing just isn’t making you happy anymore. In fact, it’s doing nothing but making you more and more miserable. There is no good advice for coping with something like that, except for maybe finding a few friends who will listen or making the perfect Spotify playlist to bawl your eyes out to. It’s scary when you take a moment to stop and think, “What am I doing here?’’ And the worst thing is knowing exactly what to do, but not knowing how to go about doing it. Because you know somehow, some way, someone or something you love is going to suffer for it. But that can’t be the concern. Doing what’s best for you is all that truly matters. Anyone who shames you for making yourself happy is more trouble than they’re worth.

So, it’s time to take action. Go out and do something that makes you feel happy and beautiful and honest. Have absolutely no regrets. Look for the you within yourself before finding it in others. Feel young and free for once – you don’t owe anyone a single thing. The moment you realize that is the moment you’ll be willing to do whatever it takes to love yourself fully. When you’re living a life controlled by someone else’s wants, needs, and expectations, you aren’t really living. You’re just following along. We’ve all read those ancient dystopian novels about the dangers of fitting in. They all end the same. Someone realizes that they don’t like what they’ve become and they decide to make a change. A change that ultimately ends up altering their world for the better.

You are valid. You don’t need to justify every single action you take. You can fall in love once, you can fall in love a hundred times. You can spend money that you don’t have or do something that turns heads. Be noticed for nothing but your happiness, and never let the wants of anyone else get in the way of yours. Love yourself first.

Makenzie is a current Senior at Emmanuel College studying Communications + Media Cultural Studies and Performing Arts. (Try saying that three times fast...) She's been a part of her school's Her Campus chapter since it's very first semester, and has been chapter advising for 2 years. Makenzie is also a National Writer for HC's beauty section, Campus Trendsetter, and former HC Community Development Intern. Makenzie is incredibly excited to be finishing up her last semester as Co-Campus Correspondent of HC Emmanuel. Interested in joining yourself? Hit her up anytime! 
Sammy is a senior at Emmanuel College, majoring in English: Communications & Media Studies with a minor in Music-Theater. She discovered Her Campus through College Fashion Week: Boston, and has since re-launched Emmanuel's chapter and become a National Intern. On campus, Sammy gives weekly tours as an Admissions Ambassador, is a member of the Honors Program and stars in an as many theatrical productions as possible. She was also an Orientation Leader for the Class of 2019. Outside of school, she works as a sales associate at Charlotte Russe and manages a personal style blog called Backyard Beauty. An obsessive organizer, social media addict and fashion maven, Sammy dreams of living a lavish life as a magazine contributor in New York City after graduation. Follow her on Twitter @sammysays19 and Instagram @backyardbeautyxo or visit backyardbeautyxo.tumblr.com/.