If you can think back to moments in your life, they may have seemed insignificant at the time, but now may be considered pivotal moments that have affected the journey you are on now. Trying to find yourself in this crazy world can be a difficult task, and it can be a difficult path to take. But the journey of finding yourself is one of the most amazing experiences you can go through, even during the rough periods.

When I was younger, you wouldn't recognize the person I was then and who I am now. Back then, I was shy, lost, and struggled with how I viewed myself. To some, I may have seemed "weird" or "too quiet" and many other things from an outside perspective. I had glasses, braces, and I just didn't feel comfortable in my own skin.

Even though I may have struggled to talk one on one with others, and the idea of being in a crowd of strangers made me feel so uncomfortable, I discovered my love for public speaking. In 7th grade, I took the chance to join speech team and see where it would take me. Before this experience, I felt voiceless.

Where I am at now in life, I still love public speaking, whether in front of crowds of 12 or thousands of people. I have broken outside of my shell, and I have ended up enjoying meeting new people and the challenge of making new friends. To some now, people may think I am still "weird" or "too loud" and many other things, but these, the good and the bad, are all a part of me.

Finding yourself is learning to embrace who you are, recognizing your mistakes, and wanting to grow into an even better person.

Almost a decade ago, I felt like I had no voice, but the journey of finding myself gave me a voice.

My journey is not close to being over, and neither is yours. The paths we have taken may be different, but we are all on a mission together of finding out who we are. The moments we have experienced in the past and are currently going through are mile markers in our long journey in life, no matter how big or small.

Our strengths, shortcomings, and everything in between makes us who we are.

The sooner we realize all this, the quicker we can start to realize our true selves. Finding yourself is not a sprint, it is a marathon. It is a lot about pacing yourself for the long haul and making sure you have the endurance to handle the challenges you are going to face.

Finding yourself is not a one-step fix-all process, it takes time, ups and downs, and learning to appreciate who you really are. There are going to be bumps in your path, sometimes you are going to slip, and you may not be going at the "perfect" way, but each moment of finding yourself makes you stronger than what you ever were before.