self /noun./ - a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action

synonyms: ego, I, oneself, persona, person, identity, character, personality, psyche, soul, spirit, mind, (inner) being

"listen to your inner self"

Who am I?

What makes up the essence of me?

What do others see when they look at me?

What makes me different?

How would I describe myself to the world?

Okay. Let's start with naming the basics. The things that we cannot change. Hi. I was born on October 13th, 1995 in Altoona, Pennsylvania. I have a mom and dad, named Ruth and Lewis. That is it.

One of the biggest things I have learned about the self and identity, came from taking an Intro to Human Communication class my first semester of college, and that was that the "self" is ALWAYS changing. That has really stuck with me, and I hope it sticks with you as well. One quote that combats this belief is that "people never change."

I am, and you are as well, a living example of how that is wrong.

First, I want you to start by identify yourself at the age of six.

Then, identify yourself at the age of sixteen.

Lastly, identity who you are now. Then do it again tomorrow. Then do it again in a week, month, etc.

I can almost promise you that your description of yourself will change every time. I am personally learning everyday to embrace that. At six years old, I liked to play outside. At sixteen, I discovered theatre. Now, I like to listen to Indie music.

The point is we do change. From the way we look, to what we wear, to what music we listen to, and how we think and feel changes everyday. We are shaped by how we were raised and by the media around us. We are everything and everyone that has ever entered into our lives.

You are your own ever changing identity- past, present, and future.

That Hollister shirt you wore in high school, that band poster you had hanging up in your bedroom wall, and those High School Musical books you carried around with you everywhere in junior high make up your identity.

The music you are listening to currently, the people you hang out with, and your beliefs you have on issues in society make up your identity.

The people you are going to meet when you are studying abroad, the tattoo you might get in the future, where you are going to live, and the family you may or may not have will make up your identity.

Identity isn't stagnant. It is chaotic and scary. You will have days, where you know exactly who you are and you will have days where you will have no idea how where you don't know at all. That is okay. Embrace that and love that. Also, remember that you are much more than how others identify you; you are how you identify yourself.

To quote Dan Gilbert's Ted Talk: The Psychology of Your Future Self, "Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished."

Don't ever think yourself as someone who is "finished."

Do think of yourself as someone who is constantly growing, changing, bettering yourself, and learning along the way. After all, you are the only you around.