Making Your Dreams Your Reality

As I have reflected on my last year of being a teenager, I have made decisions to do things without overthinking, which has changed my life. This year has been a rough one for me. I wanted to be able to change that by finding things that make me happy, a reason to get out of bed, motivation and a reason to keep going when life gets hard.

There are plenty of things I want to do in life, but have always felt that the time would come eventually down the road due to finance or life experience. I was afraid of starting things due to these setbacks. Then I started thinking, “Why not now?” Why wait any longer when I can start with something simple that I have always wanted to do in life? One of the activities that came into my mind was learning how to play guitar.

Childhood

As a little girl, I have always loved music, dancing, and singing. It has been in my life whether that was in band playing clarinet or just listening to music and watching videos. I once received a mini guitar after many Christmases of asking, but never learned how to play. I admired people that knew how to play the stringed instrument.

One Day But Not Today

Four years ago I got into classic rock and alternative music more. I loved hearing the guitar flow through my ears whether it was bass, electric, or acoustic. The more my love for music grew, the more I wanted to learn how to play, but I just kept it on my bucket list in hopes that I would learn in my lifetime.

Keep Your Head Up

This year I have fallen into a deep state of depression and anxiety more than I have ever felt. The only way I knew to change that for me, is to think about what makes me happy. The two first things I thought about were sports and music. I knew I have always wanted to learn guitar and knew that putting time and energy into a passion I’m interested in would take my mind off anything else that would be racing through my mind.

I took a chance on myself and decided to schedule a lesson. Since then, I have bought a guitar and have continued my lessons. My family, friends and co-workers have been absolutely supportive of me. “It is never too late to start,” my Grandpa excitedly told me after hearing that I have picked up an instrument again.

After learning to play a song I’ve been wanting to learn for a long time, I felt an excitement I constantly want to feel. Something that small, made me so proud of myself. That is one thing I have been able to cross off on my bucket list and I can not wait to cross off more.

I have my first live performance soon, and I am excited yet nervous because it is a dream come true. As my last few days of being a teenager have come to an end, I have realized not to wait on the things you want to do if you can start it now. I have been the happiest, and doing the best mentally in a really long time. Something simple has given me a reason to keep my head up and for that, I am forever thankful for the gift of music.