This summer, I was given an awesome opportunity to write for this online magazine. I had never written for anyone else before; the only online publications I had were on my blog. At first, I was hesitant because it seemed like a huge task and something I honestly had no idea how to do.

Here was this fantastic online magazine that helps to truly inspire and motivate people…how could I fit into that narrative successfully? However, as it is now the end of August, I evidently found my groove somewhere along the way.

The first thing I did was also the hardest: I accepted a new challenge. Last year, I was lucky enough to be in a tiny writing class where I got to just write creatively. It opened my eyes to the world of writing stories and getting them published. As time went on, I realized the thing I wanted more was to write articles. I found I had a voice that I wanted to sharpen and build upon.

So, I made a resolution to become a published author by the end of 2017. I never could’ve imagined that it would happen in the way that it did, but I’m so grateful for it. Life has a funny way of putting things in your path that you didn’t know you needed (or wanted). Accepting a new challenge was the reason I could cross off one of my resolutions, without even realizing it at the time.

Writing for this magazine was a blast. I learned that there’s so many ways to empower those around you, and writing is a huge one. Although my beliefs may be a little different than those around me, they’re still just as important to share with the world. My goal was to spread love to my readers, through encouraging them and telling stories, and I feel like I achieved that.

I also saw so many other writers for this magazine courageously share their thoughts with the world, and that was humbling. Although everyone has a little bit of a different take on life, they composed and shared it well. It gives me hope that this generation is full of leaders, risk-takers and knowledgeable people.

I’m proud that I’ve now accumulated over three months’ worth of articles to share with possible future employers. I have no doubt that they’ll look at what I’ve written here and smile. Not all websites out there are created just to get the views.

So, readers, when you’re faced with something new and ready to say no, stop yourself and give it actual thought. Don’t underestimate what you’re capable of.