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For those of you who shamelessly binge-watch Greys Anatomy like myself, Meredith Grey’s opening and closing remarks on each episode likely leave you with “the feels.” Though Meredith considers herself “dark and twisty,” I personally think that her outlook on life is something to admire. She says what’s on her mind, stops at nothing to achieve her goals and constantly challenges her limits.
“If there’s just one piece of advice I can give you, it’s this—when there’s something you really want, fight for it, don’t give up no matter how hopeless it seems. And when you’ve lost hope, ask yourself in 10 years from now, you’re gonna wish you gave it just one more shot because the best things in life, they don’t come free.” –Meredith Grey
It is inevitable that we are going to have moments in our lives when we feel completely hopeless. As college students, we’ve reached a crucial time in our lives when we’re pressured to get our lives all figured out. Some days we feel like we can conquer the world, while others we feel like curling up under our covers and never coming out. For me personally, I’ve dreamed of being a sports reporter my entire life. Some days I feel hopeful about making it in the industry, while other days I feel hopeless. I ask myself if it’s worth it to put my all into a dream that sometimes seems unreachable. People try to drag me down and try to convince me to inch toward a more realistic career path. For a while, I would often find myself believing the negativity being spewed at me. Then I asked myself this question: Do I really want to live with the “what if?” for the rest of my life? In 10 years, I don’t want to be kicking myself for not at least trying to achieve my life’s dream. I know that I’m going to have to work extremely hard to make my dream a reality, but I know the end result will be more than worth it. The only time you fail is when you stop trying.
“Communication. It’s the first thing we really learn in life. Funny thing is, once we grow up, learn our words and really start talking, the harder it becomes to know what to say or how to ask for what we really need.”-Meredith Grey
Communication is the downfall of countless situations. We’re so scared of what someone will think of us if we truly communicate our feelings. “Will he think I’m psycho?” “Will they think I’m too emotional?” “Will she think I’m too pushy?” We’ve all had these questions flow through our brains at some point when trying to figure out how to achieve what we desire. Whether it’s expressing your concerns with your significant other, negotiating your salary with a potential employer or simply asking your roommate to be a smidge tidier—we’re petrified of communication. Next time your apprehensiveness infringes on your communication skills, remember this one thing: the vast majority of us are creatures of emotion, not creatures of logic. There’s an incredibly high chance they’re just as scared to communication with you as well. Just get it all out in the open and I can promise you that you’ll get much further.
“Just when we think we’ve figured things out, the universe throws us a curve ball. So we have to improvise. We find happiness in unexpected places. We find our way back to the things that matter the most. The universe is funny that way, sometimes it just has a way of making sure we wind up exactly where we belong.” -Meredith Grey
Our time here on earth doesn’t come equipped with a how-to manual. We’re learning every day through our experiences and constant trial and error. When we’re going through a tough time, it gets incredibly frustrating when people say, “what’s meant to be will always find its way.” We want instant gratification—we don’t want to wait until something “finds its way.” However, I can guarantee that the feeling when those things finally do find their way is beyond worth it. That curveball break-up you’re going through might seem like the worst thing on the planet in the moment, but when you finally do find your way to the right person…the curveball all makes sense.
“At some point, you have to make a decision. Boundaries don’t keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That’s how we’re made. So, you can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”-Meredith Grey
I live my life by this simple saying: don’t limit your challenges, challenge your limits. We’ve got one life to live and it should be as messy as possible. When you’re old and gray, would you rather look back on the days of fearing what could have been, or living out all of life’s possibilities? Before fencing yourself in, ask yourself this question: “Is this action/emotion/response doing me any good?” Apply for that job. Talk to that cutie in your class. Say what’s on your mind. Create yourself. Cross those lines.