Us Springsters know that planning for our future is important, but what happens when everything that we planned suddenly gets turned upside down?

Right now, life can feel a little scary and unpredictable. Sometimes in life, no matter how much we plan and prepare, things just aren’t going to go the way that we expected.

While it’s totally normal to feel anxious, sad, or even angry about the unexpected challenges that pop up in life, those same challenges are an opportunity to grow stronger and show the world just how resilient us girls are.

Here’s a story about a girl named Mary. When Mary was in her last year of high school, it seemed like her biggest dream was about to come true: she got accepted to college!

As a young girl growing up in her small village, Mary dreamed of one day moving to a city and going to college. She was so excited, but after she talked to her parents, she realized that they didn’t have any money to pay for her tuition.

Mary was devastated. She spent some time feeling frustrated, angry, and disappointed. After a while, she decided to put her energies into making a plan: if her parents couldn’t pay for college, she’d find a way to pay for it herself.

Mary replied to the college and told them that she needed to postpone her enrollment and, as soon as she graduated from high school, she went hunting for a job.

She eventually found a position at a small local radio station in a nearby town and she spent the year working as a junior journalist and saving all of her money.

After a year of hard work and a lot of savings, Mary messaged the college about her enrollment and she decided to apply for a scholarship to help pay for the tuition. Guess what?! Her hard work paid off! She was going to go to college AND she earned a full scholarship!

Mary could hardly believe that it was really happening, but she knew that she still had a lot of work ahead of her: her scholarship only paid for her tuition, and life in a city could be expensive. How was she going to survive?

Mary got a reference letter from the radio station that she’d been working at and used it to apply for a part-time job at her college’s radio station. She got hired! That salary, along with the money she earned from doing odd-jobs, was enough for her to cover her living expenses.

Mary was the first person in her family to go to college, and she did it all on her own! After graduation, Mary used her work experience to help her get a job as a professional writer in the capital city. It had really all paid off!

Even though she was so upset and disappointed, it was those same challenges and obstacles that actually helped Mary to fulfill her dreams.

If she didn’t have to delay college and work for a year, she might not have gotten the scholarship. And if she didn’t have the work experience in her village, she might not have gotten the job on her college campus. And if she didn’t work all through college, she might not have gotten a professional job right after graduation! It all worked out, thanks to Mary’s hard work and determination.

There might be a lot in your life that isn’t going the way that you planned right now and, just like young Mary, it’s okay to feel frustrated, angry, and disappointed. But, girl, you’re strong and your dreams aren’t going anywhere! You’ve got this, and we believe in you!