[media-credit id=2200 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]You’re going to fail. You should expect to fail. Don’t try to fail, aim to do your best always, but assume failure is inevitable because it probably is.

I’ve failed so many times that at this point, when failure arrives, it’s like welcoming an old friend. The good thing about failure is that when victory comes around it’s so much better because you know you’ve earned it.

My first two years at Quinnipiac, I lived by the mantra: Fake it till you make it. This being because I felt as though I was not good enough or smart enough to be where I was in life. Acting as though I was good and smart enough seemed to be the key to making it through, at the time.

“Imposter Syndrome” is the name of this feeling, and it’s the feeling of inadequacy despite success.

It took some time for me to realize it, but the fact is: you’re the only one standing in the way of your own success. If you find yourself in situations of high stress, try down-playing the intensity of the situation and tell yourself that you’ve got this.

At the age of 16, Gymnast Lauren (Laurie) Hernandez became a gold medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Before beginning a particularly difficult routine, Hernandez would take a moment to breathe and mouth the words, “I got this” to herself.

Never underestimate the power of believing in yourself. You will be presented with so many challenges over the years, and when you are, you should be prepared to take them on.

If you ever find that your life isn’t challenging you, take a moment to reassess your position. See how you can make your current position, something that motivates you to get out of bed in the morning.

I believe with all my heart that boredom breeds complacency, as do repetition and commonplace things. Challenge yourself throughout this life and be sure to make yourself proud as you do so.

After watching Hernandez take a deep breath, mentally steady herself and say “I got this,” I truly felt that there was nothing I too couldn’t do.

Before tests, finals or interviews, I began to take a deep breath and say “I’ve got this.” More often than not, I found myself having success in my life. I began to see better grades, I became the News Editor of The Chronicle and received the internship that lead to the start of my professional career.

When work starts to pile up and you honestly don’t know how you’re supposed to get everything done, take a moment to remove yourself from the situation and say “I got this,” because quite frankly you do. This task won’t be your undoing. Realize just how incredibly awesome you are and get to work.

The thing about college is that this is the time to fail without experiencing overly-severe life-altering consequences. (Unless you break the law. Don’t break the law.)

This is the time for you to find your breaking point and constantly create new expectations for yourself. Don’t be afraid to fail and don’t beat yourself up too badly when you do.

Being a part of The Chronicle provided me the opportunity to fail on a weekly basis. Collecting content to publish for roughly 14 weeks straight is a challenge. You can’t enter a job like this without the thought that you might fail even in the slightest.

This is the time for you to mess up and to learn from your mistakes. Not too far down the road, you’ll find there’s no need for you to fake it anymore because you’ve made it.

So whatever it is, whatever you are and whatever you want to be in this life, be a good one and believe in yourself, because you’ve got this.