College is a great place to be when you know what you want to do in your life and an even better place to be when you have no clue what the next five years of your life holds.

I was given the opportunity to spend a week in Dallas, Texas for a journalism conference. I thought I was going into this week with the knowledge of where I plan to be, and then I was told that I do not.

I joined The All State my freshman year of college and I thought I understood where my future was going. I had everything mapped out and I was sure I wanted to do print journalism; then one day I did not anymore. I started writing a blog and fell head over heels in love with Adulting 101 and spent a month thinking that I was done trying to make a job out of print news.

When I attended the journalism conference I made a schedule that was surrounded around “the fluff stuff” because I thought I wanted to work with things such as music, art, fashion, etc.

I ended up in a seminar that was called investigating the good, bad, and ugly, which is nothing like “the fluff stuff.” I was so intrigued I spent the next hour trying to talk my editor into letting me write an investigative profile piece.

That night I was so confused and so upset that once again my life was not the way I had imagined it to be.

Everyone has been at this point in their life where they thought they had everything figured out, and then one small thing changes and their five year plan goes up in flames.

I have a secret way of handling life when this happens; just go with it!

Life sucks when you are in college. It is a confusing time and nothing stays the same for long, but just keep it going. Make sure you never stop working toward something.

The easiest way to keep everything flowing is just say, “Yes, and.”

I want to be a journalist.

Yes, and…

I applied to the college newspaper.

Yes, and…

I am a writer for the Perspectives.

Yes, and..

I want to work with crime instead.

Yes, and…

When you say, “Yes, and,” to a road block, you are now working for a way around it, which is keeping your life moving in the right direction.

Before I sign off, I want to leave you with this piece of advice. You never have a five year plan and you will never be able to plan that far in advance. So start living in the moment and remain open to new things.

XOXO