Four long, confusing, emotional semesters at BYU and several mental break-downs later, I finally decided on a major and made it MyMAP official. Never before had I changed my major on paper because it always felt too restricting, too set in stone. Even though the rational part of my brain knew I could make a new change whenever I felt like it, the irrational part feared that I'd be signing my life away to some unknown entity that would tie me down and steal my identity and force me to work at a job I would forever loathe. I know. It's irrational. But seriously, I could never bring myself to change my dang major -- until now.
Over the summer I realized that it was finally time to buckle down and just pick major. I decided on Landscape Management, veering far from my previous health care path. I wasn't completely sure about it but I enrolled in the classes anyway. This week, I fell in love with it. I look forward to every class and actually enjoy the material I'm learning. I can see myself actually doing this work in the future and enjoying it! That's a complete shift from my mentality about nursing or dietetics or anything of the like. It's an amazing feeling to actually look forward to the future; something I've never really experienced.
I don't know what that means for everyone else. Maybe it's about not settling. I used to hate it when people told me not to settle because how was I supposed to know if I was settling? Now I realize that the only way to fight the dangers of settling is to experience life. I also used to hate when people told me that because I didn't know where to start. So recently I've been trying to say "yes" more frequently. The more I say yes, the more experiences I get and basically my horizons have broadened a lot. I am not in the place I thought I'd be a year ago, and for that I am so grateful. One simple yes decision I made back in May has led me to new friends, new experiences, a new career path, and a new outlook on life. I don't know if it was sheer luck or Divine intervention, but I know that life is supposed to be beautiful and if we are open to it, we allow it to unfold for us.
Thank you for this post! I have been having a huge internal debate on whether or not I should change my major. There are many factors that are involved, but one of the reasons I am so hesitant is the idea of a whole new start. It just scares me. It's a very hard decision choosing your major, because you are choosing your whole life. It's a pretty important decision that we all need to get right, but thank you for your post. I will consider this as I continue to contemplate my major.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post Lindsay! I know exactly what you mean when you said that you hate when people tell you not to settle. This is so vague and most often just provides further frustration and anxiety to the situation, at least for me. I love how you made the decisions that led you to change your major. Life is all about experiences. Growing and learning are key. I feel like I need to begin living this principle better in my life, saying "Yes" to situations that may be out of my comfort zone. Hopefully this will help me to make that decision about my major also! I am so excited for you that you love your major. Good luck! Thanks again for your post.
ReplyDeleteWow that was really inspiring to hear your personal story! Thank you for sharing. Sometimes I am too quick to decide without really weighing things out in my mind, and later I regret or think of the way I would have done it differently. I really admire that you took so much time to investigate all your options before deciding on your major. Now you are content and happy! That is so awesome. Good luck in your future career path! The world is for your taking! Life is so so good!
ReplyDeleteI think it is so dangerous to label choices as "settling" in our lives, and I completely agree with you when you said you don't like when people tell you not to settle. How are we supposed to know if there really was something better out there?? There really is no way to find out, except for through living experiences and testing out the waters. I also really like what you said about saying yes to more things, it really does give us more experiences, and here in Provo there really are so many opportunities of new things to try, new people to meet, and new paths to take. Thanks for your view on life and how to truly live it! Good luck in your new major.
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