My sophomore year is starting off simply splendidly. Much better than last year, indeed. I’ve been eating so much healthier, getting exercise, getting involved in extracurricular activities, and making new friends. It’s just such a change from last year’s general depression that I have been trying to figure out why exactly things are so different for me this time around.

What I have come up with is an interesting theory, but one that has certainly been working for me: Manifesting ideas and desires. Last year, my friends would order pizza and I would think to myself, “This is unhealthy.” But I would eat it anyway, because I would give into temptation. Now they’ve ordered pizza multiple times and I have yet to give in, because instead I think to myself, “Think of how good it will feel if you don’t eat it.” I’ve realized this summer that I love the feeling of being healthy; I’ve been losing weight and my mindset has been so much better. If you want to feel that way, manifest that thought and don’t give into temptation.

Last year, I could feel myself losing muscles and gaining weight, but I still didn’t go to the gym. I always thought, “I’ll do it later. Plus, I get so much exercise going up and down this hill five times a day.” But the hill is not enough! Whenever I feel myself falling back into a pattern of laziness, I pull out my yoga mat and do a half hour yoga routine; because afterward, I feel so good, both mentally and physically. Plus, I’ve made a habit of walking more places rather than taking public transportation. If you want to stay healthy and stay in shape, you need to put in some effort, but that doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym every day. There are other ways. All I’m saying is that if you like the feeling of being in shape, manifest that feeling.

Last year, I was never prepared for auditions (I love musical theatre, so I auditioned for all of the musicals last year and didn’t get in). I would assume that I wouldn’t get in, so I wouldn’t practice my songs or monologues until the day or two beforehand. I was giving myself an escape for being rejected. But not this year! This year, I thought, “I want to be in the musical more than anything. I’m going to make it happen.” And so I picked my songs and monologue weeks ahead of time and I practiced them every day for two weeks before my audition. My voice had never felt better and I had never been so confident; as a result, I got in! This is what I mean by manifesting your thoughts. If you want something, or if you are even thinking about something, do not question it! Just get up and do it. Chances are, you will feel millions of times better once you have followed your heart.

I will leave you with the best piece of advice I think I have ever been given, though she probably does not even remember telling it to me. This advice was given by a truly remarkable woman and fellow Care2 writer named Betsy Stang, and she told me that whatever I feel like doing in the morning is what I am supposed to do. I should not fight it; I should go with it and see what happens. I have tried to stick to that advice; if I feel like singing, I go practice. If I feel like writing, I write. And I think that it has been some of the most powerful work I have done, because it is work that I want to be doing. So don’t fight it! Follow your heart.

Note to self: Manifest.

Lily Berthold-Bond grew up in a chemical-free zone and has struggled her whole life to understand and accept this non-commercial lifestyle. Now a sophomore at Tufts University, she has embraced her green life and hopes to share its possibilities with the rest of her generation.