I'm 22 years old. I'll be the first to admit i don't have it all together. I ate the same cereal this morning for breakfast that I used to eat when I was four. I live in my mom's house with two of my younger siblings, and I'm constantly reminded of how successful my older sister is, who has now been in her own place for a year and a half on the other side of the state working her dream job. Some days I don't get out of my jammies until 1:00 pm, and others, I'm up at 6:30 running on the treadmill. There are still nights that I have nightmares and crawl into bed with my mom, and there are still rainy days whose thunderstorms nearly make me wet my pants. I'm not perfect by any means.

I might not be 100% sure what I want to be when I "grow up", but I do know WHO I want to be. I've been criticized constantly because I'm not making enough money for my age. I don't have enough in my bank account. My career isn't set in stone and I've been accused of being "unmotivated and lazy" in terms of my own success.

Success. Well to anyone who has ever criticized me for where I am in life, what makes you think that your interpretation of the word "success" is the concrete definition? Because I'm well on my way to my own interpretation of success.

I have dreams. And they're big dreams. Because why would anyone who is capable of so much, think small? I want to aid in ending world hunger. I want to show love to broken people in impoverished countries. I want to put smiles on the faces of children who come from all sorts of backgrounds. I want to be the kind of wife and mother one day that my family depends on as a source of unconditional, indescribable love and support. I want to do my part in ending environmental degradation, banishing social injustices and fighting animal cruelty. I want to inspire others to live healthy lifestyles both physically and mentally. I want to do my part to eliminate the stigma associated with mental illnesses. I want to challenge others to seek adventure in life. I want to serve on mission in Africa, Thailand, Guatemala and the Philippines and wherever else God calls me. I want to open a prayer house and donations-based coffee shop in Grand Rapids one day. I want to bring comfort, hope and peace to a world of hate, anger and selfishness. There are so many things I want to accomplish, the list could go on and on.

I have a unique perspective of the world we live in and strong point of view on many controversial topics. I don't pride myself on knowing everything there is to know about politics or religion, but I stand firmly in what I believe. And that takes a lot of confidence.

Not only do I stand firmly in what I believe, but I actually have an opinion when so many people would rather talk about designer clothes and gossip about all of the "he said"/"she said" that doesn't actually matter in the grand scheme of things. So many people don't choose sides on controversial topics because they don't want to offend anybody. They don't want to upset anyone, and even though my purpose is never to offend or upset anyone, I do believe forming opinions, educating yourself on a variety of topics and fighting for what you believe in all constitute as successfully working to develop who you are as a person and forming your own belief system. And to all of you too afraid to take a stance... well, just take some advice from my good old friend Alexander Hamilton: "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything".

I have friends that are worth getting to know. This is quite possibly the most obvious indication that I am on the road to success. And yes, I'm a little biased because why would you be friends with someone you didn't think was incredible? My point here is that I see the potential and the passion my friends have about the things that they want to do in life. Have you ever heard the phrases "your vibe attracts your tribe" or "you are who you surround yourself with"? I have some truly remarkable friends who are worth knowing. I have friends who have worked on mission in Zambia, bringing life to hopeless children. I have friends who own their own crafting business and create functional products that are one of a kind. I have friends who advocate for the public education of human trafficking and have worked first-hand with victims overseas. I have friends who have left their homes the day they turned 18 and have created for themselves a life they are proud of. I have friends who have been physically assaulted by complete strangers for standing up for the relationship they have with Jesus Christ. I even have a friend who has dedicated her life to merging her faith and her degree in liberal studies to try to make this world a more tolerable (maybe even loving) place. My friends' successes are the works of their hands and God's spirit within them, do not get me wrong, but to be surrounded by such incredible people helps bring me comfort that I am headed in a positive direction too.

I enjoy the simple things in life. I love to be outdoors and active. I love good music. I enjoy good food and good company. There aren't many things I love more than a warm cup of tea and an early morning sunrise. A fishing pole in one hand and a cold beer in the other puts a smile on my face. Camping brings me so much happiness because everyone is forced into living simply. I am nearly brought to tears of joy the moment I notice my homegrown fruits and vegetables have sprouted. Picnics and stargazing and birds chirping and the smell of the rain. There is nothing that compares to Sunday mornings. I appreciate the simple things in life. And having an appreciation for the simple things that occur each and every day--they make my days feel not only more successful, but more enjoyable.

I have made it through difficult days that I thought I would never overcome. What doesn't kill you definitely makes you stronger, and strength is a pretty good indication that you have a bright future ahead of you. After all, rainbows only occur after it rains. Now there are days that I feel really down on myself, but I'm not too proud to admit it. We all have days like that.

We don't need to pass judgement towards one another for how they choose to live their lives. Each of us travels down a different road to our own success. What's best for you is not necessarily what's best for me and my life. Some people need to travel to figure out who they are. Some people need to work a 9 to 5 to realize what they want to do. Some people don't care about what they're doing as long as they're making money doing it. Regardless, we should not be criticizing people for their own journey on finding themselves.

If you are not happy with where I am at, I am not asking you to stay in my life. In fact, I'm politely asking you to leave because a flower cannot bloom in darkness--and I still have a lot of growing to do.