We are two days away from one of my favorite holidays ever — Christmas. This morning, it struck me: life is going to be dramatically different next year at this time than it is now. This year, I find myself trying to figure life out. Between staying focused on my last semester of college to job hunting to expanding my portfolio to buying a new car, life is intensely busy. Fast forward to Christmas 2016, and I have no clue what life will for sure look like. I’ll be working full-time somewhere, but I have no clue where exactly that will be. Location isn’t an issue for me, so I’ve applied for positions as far west as California, as far east as New Hampshire, as far north as western Michigan, and as far south as Orlando. Who knows where I’ll end up for sure. As of right now, the closest I’ll be to home is 64 miles and the farthest is over 1,600 miles away.

One thing is for sure though: regardless of what I’ll be doing or where I’ll be, I’m going to work as hard as I can at that job. As a Midwest kid through and through, I’ve been blessed with a solid work ethic. I’ve never slacked at a job. I’ve given every job I’ve had the best effort I can. Whether I was a paperboy like I was in middle school, or a waiter at a restaurant, or a senior station manager for the Black Hills State radio station, I’ve given every job 110% effort.

Honestly, the unknown freaks me out a little. I’m one of those guys who likes to know what’s going on, where I’m headed, and what I’ll be doing so I can plan ahead and make sure all my ducks are in a row. I’m graduating on May 7, 2016. That’s a guarantee. But that’s the farthest ahead I can see for sure. The horizon is still dark for me.

There’s one thing I’ve discovered in my almost four full years of college: you never know what’s around the next corner. I never would have imagined four years ago that I would be in the place that I am now in life. It seems pretty “no-duh,” but it’s something we all know but rarely do. Taking life as it comes is a choice. Roll with the punches and be flexible. The horizon may be dim, but it’ll be clearer tomorrow than it is today, and even more clear next week or next month than it is today. Be patient. Life will sort itself out for you.

“Once a cheater, always a cheater.” That sound familiar? I’ve heard that multiple times in my 22 years of life on this earth. Especially in the last five or six, where I’ve made some pretty bad life choices that I’m not proud of. However, call me crazy, but I believe in the redemptive process known as growing up.

At 16, I was a meandering fool who was only concerned about which girl I could get next. At 18, I was looking forward to the time when I could finally leave home and start something new. At 20, I was starting to figure life out and was convinced I met the girl of my dreams. And now at 22, my main focus is graduating in May 2016 and again changing scenery. Long story short: I’m not the same guy now that I was 6 years ago. Further, I’m not the same guy today that I was yesterday, and I won’t be the same guy tomorrow that I am today.

You see, there’s this magical thing called growing up. It’s a weird physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual process we all go through whether we want to or not. Some people grow up quickly; others take years and years for them to finally get out of their teenage years. Regardless of the timeframe, everyone grows up eventually.

I’ll be the first to admit my life has been the farthest thing from perfect. I’ve cheated on multiple girls in multiple occasions. I’ve done things I shouldn’t have. I’ve said hurtful things all too often. But I’m changing. I’m growing. I’m becoming the man I want to be. I’m gonna let you in on a secret though: it’s not an overnight process. I’ve always been a big fan of analogies (just ask my dad), so here’s one for you.

Growing up and becoming the person you want to be is kinda like the mountains as the seasons change. Let’s say you’re standing in Loveland, Colorado, in August looking west toward the majestic peaks of the Rockies. You can’t see any snow capping the mountains due to the long, hot summer months in Colorado. Fast forward to September. High elevation snow has fallen, but only enough to dust the peaks. The snow isn’t visible until you’re up in the mountains. October rolls around, and more elevation snow falls, and you begin to see the snow-capping begin. By the time Christmas hits, you can see the snowcaps from miles away. It’s been months in the making, but it’s finally the incredible beauty you’ve come to know and love.

How does this all relate? Growing up is all about progress. It’s a slow progress, but it’s progress nonetheless. Some days will be better than others. Sometimes you’ll have wonderful days that you won’t want to end, and you’ll have days that you want to be over by 9:30 a.m. However, keep pressing forward.

Life was never promised to be easy. Mistakes will happen. But don’t let your shortcomings define who you are. In the words of the song “You Are More” by Tenth Avenue North: “You are more than the problems you create. You’ve been remade.”

These last few months have been rough for me, personally. But I’ve been blessed with a very optimistic spirit, and I don’t stay down for very long. This song has been my anthem the last few weeks since it was first released last month. Take a listen:

“Everyday’s a gift, you got air up in your lungs. Be grateful rain or sun.”

Even when the world seems like it’s against you, you have today to keep pressing forward and proving a lot of people wrong when you become the man or woman you want to be.

Welcome to a new blog-esque thing I’d like to call “Meanwhile, In Scott’s World.” In this weekly post, I’ll basically be ranting about anything and everything that’s on my mind that week. Please note that this is purely an opinion editorial, and everything that is said is my own thoughts and is not subject to approval nor is the views held by Black Hills State University, The Buzz FM, or BHSUMedia.com.

Over the last year, we’ve seen an array of topics that have been plastered on news headlines on CNN, covered our newsfeeds on Facebook, and have been top-trending topics on Twitter. These topics ranged anywhere from a North Korean nuclear crisis to Ebola to the terrorist attacks in Paris and California. These trending topics change so dramatically and so frequently that we quickly push the chaos from last week aside and focus in on the new trending topic for this week. My question is why.

Why is mainstream news so hell-bent on grabbing the attention of the viewers/readers at any possible cost? Why does mainstream news have a bias one way or the other (and don’t you dare try to say it doesn’t. Communication theories across the board support the claim that all communication has some sort of bias by nature.)? Why do we as a people so quickly forget about what happened a few short weeks ago simply because our newsfeed topics changed?

For example, I don’t think we’ve ever found Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The plane disappeared on March 8, 2014, and for about a month and a half, it was covering our newsfeeds. Now, it’s become a back-burner topic and a mystery that apparently only Scooby Doo and the crew can solve.  Is the search really “on-going,” or have we just given up and let nature run its course? Suddenly, Donald Trump and weak-kneed college kids complaining about not having “safe zones” on campus take precedence.

Is Ebola still a worldwide epidemic?  Are people still dying in third world countries from this terrible disease? What about the “outbreak” that was going to kill every American over the course of a couple years? Mainstream news just left that lie where it was at, and never really finished their story on it. Instead, they picked up on the next trending, sensationalistic story they could find.

I understand that this probably won’t change anything with how mainstream news happens. I get it. They’re after ratings and advertisement money. It’s a business. But please don’t trade your bottom-line for sub-par news reporting. Talking heads only get us so far.

For the rest of us, take everything that is said on national news with a grain of salt. Cross-check information before accepting it for all it’s worth. If it’s completely true, it will be a consistent story across multiple sources. The worst thing we can do as a people is be sucked into the trance of “CNN knows all” or “Fox News is the only reliable resource”. It’s a crazy world out there. Wear a helmet.

That’s all I got for now. I’m not one for keyboard arguments, so please refrain.