We've all heard the story before: Small-town girl grows up with the same group of friends, in the same town that her parents and their parents probably met in, too. She dates the jock, goes to prom, gets good grades and stays out of trouble for the most part. Maybe she goes to a state college, majors in something like nursing or education because she wants to "help people" and is close enough to home to still visit on the weekends. To some, this might sound like the description of a coming-of-age movie, John Green novel, or an episode of Gilmore Girls. But for those of us who grew up knowing everyone in our town and never straying too far from it, we're probably used to hearing the clichés by now.

People expect you to settle down, get married and have kids in the same house that you grew up in, put up the white picket fence with a dog playing in the yard. How could you ever possibly want to do bigger things for yourself, like see the world, start a business, take risks -- explore and evolve and grow into yourself outside of your comfort zone? Growing up in suburbia is seen as a weakness, settling for what you know instead of asking for more.

But the places we grow up in don't have to define us forever. You don't need to escape your small town in order to find yourself -- you're already the sum of all your experiences put together. Wherever you go, embrace your roots by appreciating the small-town lessons you've learned in order to get there:

1. You learned the value of belonging to a community.

Whether your town was big on football, basketball, or anything in between, you could always count on cheers from the home stands. If your name was in the newspaper, at least three teachers saved you a copy and even crappy town carnivals became a social event.

2. 'Slowing down' isn't something that you take for granted.

Long, lazy summers were spent laying by the pool, working as a camp counselor or scooping ice cream all day. Now that you're older and with more on your plate, you still remember how it felt when time moved slower and your head was full of big dreams for the future.

3. There's always a strong support system to fall back on.

Your high school friends are your forever friends. Even though the years and miles might separate you at times, you know that as soon as you're back in the same zip code there's already a date set at your favorite diner that doesn't need explaining.

4. You know how to appreciate the 'simple' things.

Long drives on back roads, the comfort of your childhood bed and the neighbors you grew up next to. Beach days, bonfires, and movie nights -- When you lived in a place where there wasn't much to do, you learned to get creative.

5. It shaped you into the person that you are today.

Growing up in a small town might sound cliché , but the memories you take away from it are uniquely and enitrely your own.