In his first inaugural address, Franklin D. Roosevelt told the United States, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” This quote is the essence of every great idea and every seized opportunity.

We miss out when we hold back in fear. Instead, we need to embrace the unexpected and learn to make the most of our opportunities.

As college students, we face a lot of unexpected moments and experiences. It’s often our first exposure to life on our own. We learn lessons as we go and we make mistakes. It’s the first time we are fully responsible for our own lives. We learn what it means to live paycheck to paycheck. We learn how our taxes work and what it means to make house payments.

Even with our newfound responsibilities, we cannot be afraid to make mistakes.We have thousands of doors to open in a world of billions of people. We have places to see and people to meet. We need to take advantage of every opportunity that knocks at our doors and live without regret.

These opportunities range anywhere from downright scary to moments where we might have just a few nerves. Either way, push yourself to go for it.

Never. Let. Fear. Stand. In. Your. Way.

It may be the one chance you have to skydive or your one chance to impress your dream employer in an interview. Maybe it’s the moment you realize every single amount of sweat and tears you’ve put into school has paid off and you are finally graduating; now it’s time to face the real world.All of these moments are times when you need to use your passion to surpass fear.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a college journalism conference, the Best of the Midwest, in Minneapolis with several North Wind staff members. This was one of those opportunities where there were moments we were nervous.The city is huge in comparison to Marquette. There were intimidating professionals speaking at every session. The experience of the students in attendance was vast. We were on our own.

All of these items collectively and individually could have produced instances of fear or nerves. But it was an opportunity. If we seized it, we knew we could learn a thousand new lessons and grow as individuals. That is precisely what we did.

Each one of us learned to navigate the city streets on our own. We found our way and learned how to ask directions. (Well, at least us girls learned how to ask directions.)Each one of us went up to the speakers following their sessions. In return, we gained insightful knowledge from those professionals.

Each one of us made connections with students across the Midwest. We talked and connected with many of the people with whom we will be crossing paths in our professional lives.Each one of us was independent. College teaches us this with every activity we have to move along and add on to our own list of endeavors.

In return, we brought back valuable insight into our future careers. We brought back tips and lessons we would not have learned in the classroom. We were given this opportunity to surpass any fear we would have had if we shied away.We need to remember why we are here at Northern Michigan University. We are here for the lessons we can learn both in class, as well as in the new experiences we face each and every day as individuals.

By standing up to fear we have the ability to lead our own way and carve the path for success. It is essential that we overcome fear and learn to face it, because it is in facing those fears we grow as individuals and become adults.

Editor’s Note: North Wind Sports Editor Katie Bultman won second place for Best Individual Sports Story at Best of the Midwest on Sunday Feb. 9.