Finding out who you are is a never-ending journey that everyone must go through. It’s filled with twists and turns, roadblocks, and even a shortcut or two, but there will always be more ahead of you.
Discovering yourself and being more in tune with your own mind and body can be extremely frustrating when something doesn’t line up the exact way it’s supposed to like in the movies or when you just can’t find the right word to describe a certain aspect of who you are.
However, figuring yourself out and making sense of everything is one of the most rewarding feelings out there when it happens.
Now I’m not trying to say that I, a college kid of only (almost) 19 years, have this whole life thing figured out. While I’m on the subject, anyone who tells you they have it all figured out or seems like they do is lying to you. Nobody, and I mean nobody knows everything there is to know about themselves, and that’s what makes it so special.
There are infinite scenarios that one could find themselves in, and even more that you couldn’t even imagine yourself being in, and for each one of those there are an infinite amount of ways that you could react to the certain moment in time. As you go through all these things, and possible actions you might or might not take, you’re discovering yourself as a person and finding out what your boundaries are.
It's important to be aware of the fact that in time, everybody grows. You are not the same person you were when you 12, and how you are right now isn’t the person you will be when you’re 85.
Just the same as you, everyone else too also grows (hopefully). While some people may remain unmoved in certain ways, they too are still growing in their own way at their own pace.
So if you find yourself in your room at 3 a.m., lost in thoughts racing through your head trying to figure out who you are and what’s going on in your life, just know that you aren’t alone in this journey. It may seem like it at that moment when it’s silent and you’re left alone to your thoughts, but everyone has had their share of 3 a.m. introspection.
And of course, if you don’t happen to find the answer you’re looking for in the dead of night, verging on early morning, don’t be discouraged. You don’t have to know every single detail right this second. It’s OK to not have an answer to a question someone asks you, it’s OK to admit that you’re still trying to find what fits who you are.
Finally, don’t let anyone force you into a label or a state of mind either. If you’re trying to figure out what you want to do with your life and everyone is telling you STEM is the only way to go, don’t be afraid to branch out and explore what fits you better.
It seems a bit ridiculous to make someone decide what they’re going to be doing for the rest of their life when just last month they had to ask to use the bathroom.
So take your time, learn, grow, become the person you were meant to be in your own time. There’s no rush, life will still be there waiting for you when you start to put the pieces together.
