Between going to this and that, maintaining daily relationships, and taking time to check in with myself, it seems as though life is in a race with me, and I am far behind the finish line. I try to keep a consistent routine, remember new faces, and give my everything. Yet, in the chaos of it all, I tend to lose my breath. My constant pace has come to a halt as I try to catch back up.

Perhaps the one thing though that never fails to stay constant is change. Now this, in my humble opinion, is what we as humans have become both good at initiating and finding struggle in. We step foot into every New Year with an improved mindset and list of goals filled with change — things that we believe are needed to become a better person. We find pride in being able to look back and say, "I'm not like that anymore, I've changed."

Change can also mean adapting to a new life that you may not be familiar with. Whether you've lost a loved one, ended your two-year relationship, transferred schools, or eaten a banana rather than the usual apple for breakfast, change has the ability to throw you into new experiences that you are forced to take by the hand and follow.

I think that whether we know it or not, we are always searching for change. We're never quite comfortable enough, as we constantly look for new ways to obtain a happier life. Once time has aligned with a life that we believe is perfect, change has a way of coming in with a curveball. Whether that change be good or bad, a life that for a second seemed settled is now back on its feet and ready to move on to the next challenge. Once again, we are standing back up and running to the next checkpoint.

As exhausting as it is adapting to this change, it never fails to come with the opportunity to become a new and improved version of you. There is no better feeling than knowing you are a stronger and more capable human than you were a year ago. Change makes it difficult to clearly see the end, but know that sometimes life has to shake you in order to relocate you to the place you are supposed to end up.

You may not be able to map out your final destination, but I assure you that if you continue to grow through what you go through, the finish line will only be a step away.