On the brain.

I used to criticize people for doing what they call "going with the flow," or just letting life take them where it would. I used to tell them, no, you need to act! You need to work for what you want! I still believe this is true, don't worry. I'm not dropping out of school and letting life "flow" me into a winning career. But something I have learned lately is that there are times when you don't need to make a decision so fast.

This summer, a friend of mine told me that one of my flaws is that when I make a decision, it's done, and I won't reconsider it. "Which can actually be good sometimes, and sometimes not," she said. She may not know this, but that statement actually made a huge impact on me. I was so confused as to when that would ever be a bad thing. No one likes those wishy-washy decision people who can't decide where to eat for dinner or what movie to watch... right?

The more this semester has gone on, though, I have realized that it's not just important to make a decision and be done with it. Making decisions is important, but making the right decisions is more important. And that, my friends, takes time.

Let's go back in time to last October, when I was trying to make the decision about what to major in. Anyone remember? I posted on October 27, a Thursday, that I was trying to decide between journalism and public relations as an emphasis. Five days later, on November 1, I had decided on journalism, something that I had never even considered in my life, just because it "felt right." I had decided potentially the whole course of my future in less than a week.

I don't regret that decision at all, for the record. Because of that decision, I worked for the newspaper this semester, something that has brought me way out of my comfort zone and taught me a lot, not to mention improved my writing ability like nothing else. But now, over a year later, I know that choice wasn't right for me in the long run and that maybe if I had spent a little more time figuring that out, I wouldn't have been in a mad scramble this semester to figure out what I really wanted to do and what classes I need to take to actually graduate.

Then there's the whole mission thing, which is a story I already told.

They say "good things come to those who wait, but the best things come to those who do." And I believe in that whole-heartedly. But they also say "patience is a virtue" and "inspiration needs information." I've never heard "stubbornness is a virtue" or "make a decision and move on with your life."

So, while you definitely do have to work for what you want, you have to figure out what it is you want first. We have to make big decisions every day in our lives, concerning school, religion, love, friendship, or geography. Rushing into these choices? Never the best idea.