When I graduated from high school in 2007, my plan was to go to nursing school at Austin Community College for two short years and then I’d be done. At ACC I found that the science classes were not doing it for me, so I would drop a class and switch it for another, only to have to take it again the next semester if I wanted to get into nursing school.

Dropping classes turned into withdrawing from classes, which turned into flunking classes. I was so unmotivated, so unsure of what I wanted to do with my life, and after too many withdrawals and an extremely low GPA, I ended up getting suspended from ACC. That was my rock bottom. I was so upset with myself for getting to that point; for disappointing the people that meant the most to me.

After two semesters of sulking, I became motivated to get back on track; I no longer wanted to disappoint anyone, especially myself. My plan was to start classes at ACC again in order to boost my GPA so I could get into a good university; that plan was easier said than done. It took about two years to pull myself out of the hole I had dug, but I found along the way that the guilt of allowing myself to get to the point of being suspended was holding me back, it was my road block.

When I would get really stressed during this time, I would find myself in tears, so angry at myself. I would think over and over, “this wouldn’t have happened had you known what to do with your life” or “you would have graduated by now had you stayed on track.” These same thoughts would play in my mind and they would stop me from working. I would get in horrible moods because I thought these negative things, and it would affect my work and the people that were closest to me. These negative thoughts were my road blocks. They held me back from moving forward in my life.

Fast forward two years later to today. I am one year short of obtaining my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from St. Edward’s University. I have moved passed those road blocks, and although they come up from time to time, my mindset is much stronger now.

Everyone faces road blocks in their lives, but it’s how you overcome them that will ultimately make you stronger and successful. Road blocks come in many forms, ranging from negative thoughts, guilt, and even people. It’s important to know that these road blocks can be moved, you just have to know you’re strong enough to move them!

The key to overcoming any road block is having the confidence in yourself to know you can overcome it, and knowing you are making progress. Surround yourself with positive influences, be it people, your environment, or both, and you will see a world of difference. You do have what it takes to pursue any passion, any dream, any goal that you want. You just have to overcome a few bumps before you get there.