Meet Michaela

The Author of FEARLESS

Michaela W.

5'4 

grey eyes

brown hair

Pittsburgh Native

My DIY Blog

My Etsy Shop

Profile:                                              

I am a U.S. citizen

I am the oldest of seven kids

I am a student at the Pittsburgh Arts Center

I currently am taking a year off from traditional schooling to explore different hobbies and interests-mostly art.

I work as a nanny and I love being able to invest in young lives and help kids grow through exploratory play and life experiences

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh

My friends live all over the country

My favorite activity is making art and I love to do this because I'm 100% me

My favorite color is orange because it always has been

I love fashion and have my own DIY/fashion blog: http://thediygal93.wordpress.com/

My favorite meal is sushi-and I hardly ever eat it so it’s always a treat!

I love backcountry backpacking and camping. There is something so incredible about living from your backpack and drinking in part of the country untouched by industrialism

I love to write- I am almost done with my first YA novel

I can be a little too adventurous

I am an activist. Fighting against social injustice is so important to me- especially in the area of human trafficking.

I randomly break into song

I love sewing because you can create so much from your mind and make something completely new from scraps of fabric

I own an Etsy store to raise money for the A21 Campaign, as well as others to help girls rescued from human trafficking:https://www.etsy.com/shop/TurnAround360?ref=hdr_shop_menu

I love running

I am addicted to coffee

It’s my dream to backpack across Europe

I want to see the world

I love creating art

My favorite poet is Pablo Neruda

I want my life to be used to help and encourage other people

My weakness is ice cream

My favorite author is C.S. Lewis

Being around other people energizes me. I love being social and connecting with people-either one on one or in a group.

I am a mentor to several young girls. I love encouraging them to live up to their potential and to help them learn how to figure out problems in their lives themselves.

One person from history who has always inspired me is Corrie ten Boom. She risked her life for the lives of other and even when she was tortured and abused by the Nazis, she chose to forgive and love, even when it was difficult.

My Present:

I believe in Christ. He gives me guidance in everything

I feel very deeply about many things but I don’t always show it

I am a strong person, but I need to learn to let others help me

I am learning the balance between service for others and rest for myself

I want to live every day to the fullest

FEARLESS

By: Michaela
*photocred to Calvetti

In two short months, I’ll be 21. 

Twenty-one.
Even just seeing those words typed out give my the shivers. I’m entering headlong into possibly one of the most glorious and confusing, rewarding and frustrating periods of my life known as young adulthood. I made it. I survived the impossible workings of high school and teenager-hood only to realize that I no more have my act together or really know what is going on in my life than I did at age 16.

Sure. I am more knowledgeable about life in general. I’ve worked several jobs at once, traveled extensively and met a myriad of people from all walks of life. Heck, I’ve even paid taxes. And I’m just now starting school again with high aspirations of what I want to do with my life. 

Yet, I’m still scared to do so much of what I want to do. Sound familiar to you? 

We grow up being told that we can do and be whatever or whoever we want. (Hands up if at one point you wanted to be President of the United States.) We believe it. We believe it, that is, until the end of high school and we are buried up to our eyeballs in college applications and tuition fees. We realize our dreams will require money and work and sleepless nights and doing things waaay out of our comfort zone. Slowly, many in the legions of dreamers will quietly back away and settle for something sub-par; something that they can tolerate for the rest of their lives, but not really enjoy. They forget to live.

I’ve been guilty of this. Of being too afraid of failure or embarrassment to step out and do something crazy. To take a deep breath and pursue something that I’ve always wanted to do. To meet new people, form new relationships and experience new cultures. Yet, I would let those opportunities slide away. “I still have plenty of time,” I reassure myself. “This isn’t the only chance I have to do this.”

Hmm... Really? Says who? Says the girl who is busy swallowing her disappointment over skipping out on something that pushes her from her comfort zone? 

I chose an unconventional route after high school- not starting college right away and working to save money. I also did quite a bit of volunteer work because I knew I wanted to work with children or international families somehow; possibly even missions work. I also didn’t want to blow a ton of money on school if I didn’t have a clear vision of what I wanted to do. So I waited and worked and saw most of my friends head off to college. I’m not going to lie. It was hard. As was enduring the judgmental looks and head shakes of people when I told them my current plans. 

   “But you are so intelligent. You would do so well at college.”
Thank you. I feel less like an idiot now. Not.

   “You need to get out and do things. Meet some guys.”
Surprisingly, I don’t need to be in a relationship to have confidence in myself or to validate my level of “hotness.” (What does that even mean, anyway? That objectification just makes me angry.) I often had to bite back irate retorts. I work. I volunteer. I have hobbies. I go out with friends. I do have a life. It was in the midst of the trepidation and frustration over people’s lack of understanding, I  finally realized something. 

I don’t have to let other people’s opinions sway my decisions in life. It was my life and I had to really think, really pray about what I wanted my life to look like. That looks different for everyone. For many, their lives include college or some other type of schooling. For others, it doesn’t. Neither one is wrong or right. 

Everyone is so preoccupied with “having a life” or in waiting for the “next big thing” to happen that they forget to live. I’m learning to slow down and cultivate relationships- to do things that impact other people. It’s when we take the focus off of ourselves that we can truly see that is beautiful and what it important in life. 

   
You don’t have to have everything figured out. There is a lot of immense pressure on young adults to have a game plan for the next 4 or 5 years in, or out, of college. While it is important to be prepared and responsible, our twenties are meant to be the years of daring. Exploration. Discovering who you are as a person and where your talents and passions lie. Play around with different interests or pursue a hobby. Travel to one place a year that you’ve never been and it doesn’t have to be exotic or out of country either. 

This is my challenge to you. Make your twenties mean something. Live purposefully. Trust me, it’s harder than it sounds, but so rewarding.

Don’t make apologies for who you are and what you do. There will always be people who think you should be doing things differently. Politely disagree with them. This is your life. 

Don’t waste these years only to look back yearn-fully on them and think “I wish I would have had the guts to (fill in the blank).” Find those guts now and do whatever it is that you are putting off. An interview for a dream job or internship. Trying a weird new food. Being a tourist in your own town for a day. Taking the time to talk to that guy or that girl you always seem to run into while you’re out. Making a new friend. Volunteering for a cause close to your heart.

There was one line in Paulo Coehlo’s “The Alchemist” that really appealed to my romantic tendency  “It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.” 

Isn’t that the truth? 

   
So tell me. How are you going to spend your young adult years? Why don’t you hang up those excuses and set a groundwork of fearlessness and dedication for the rest of your life? 

As Robin Williams said, “You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.”