To say it's taken me almost twenty-one years to find and believe in my faith of a higher power isn't an exaggeration. Sure, in previous years I tried to convince myself that I knew there was something that was pulling the strings of my life or directing where I walked on a particular day. No matter how many times I tried to remind myself of higher beings or how many sticky notes I strategically placed around my home, my car, and my binders to remind myself to believe, nothing ever stuck. These were meaningless reminders tied to what others suggested I believed.

For the past eight months I have set my past aside, as best as I could, and done everything, I mean everything, with the purpose of benefitting myself, hopefully leading to a better path that would end with me as a happier person. While my journey is far from done – in fact, there is no end in sight – I have developed these three ideas that have left me believing in something more than myself.

Don't get me wrong. I would never ask to forget the past suggestions of others. Yes, there were times when I wanted to scream at hearing someone say: Maybe you need to find God. The trial and error of trying to believe in something led me to know what I believed in and what was irrelevant in my life. It's sort of like dating – after a few relationships, you realize what you like and what you don't want. My relationship with faith works this same way.

Ultimately, my faith has welcomed an opportunity for me to be less hard on myself and more open to new experiences. While I hope that my faith will continue to develop, grow, and become more prevalent in my life, I am thankful for how I have prospered from its presence in my life throughout these past eight months. While it may be irrelevant at times, I do believe that there comes a time in each individual's life where the doors of faith are opened. I hope that each person has the opportunity to walk through those doors.