Today I’m over at Prodigal Mag sharing a story about an awkward conversation with a professor my freshman year. I found her words hurtful and frustrating at the time, but seven years later, I’ve realized that they actually helped me find a better purpose and plan for my career. Have you ever had a moment like that, where you realize that maybe your “dream” isn’t really what you were meant to do? Please read and share your own stories of the long, hard road of growing up.

I remember the conversation clearly. I remember the daylight that streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my college cafeteria to the table where we sat, our blue trays touching at the corners, while I shuffled bland remnants of salad around the plate with my fork. She stared at me, unblinking.

“It’s a long, hard road,” she said, no sympathy in her tone.

These words I will never forget.

(Read on.)