It’s graduation season and college kids everywhere are celebrating the end of their undergrad journey. While most people’s captions on social media talk about how the last four years flew by so quickly, I want to take a moment and congratulate the ones who needed an extra year or two. This one goes out to the students who graduate “late,” the ones who are losing faith in achieving their goals, or the ones who haven’t discovered their purpose yet.

It’s OK to take your time. I know it can be frustrating when things don't go as planned. But you don’t have to rush through college. In fact, I would discourage you from trying to do so. If you’re a fifth year, or a sixth-year, I want you to know that there is no shame. You didn’t fail or screw up. Whether you changed your major three times or needed a gap year, those experiences shaped who you are today. I am proud of you for taking the time to learn those new things about yourself.

People can always find excuses to not take care of themselves. There’s always something that people will claim is more important than their health and well-being. There's no degree or certificate for self-care but there should be! I’ve heard too many friends say that they “just have to do” something that is hurting their well-being: work, a strenuous course load, that internship that’s over an hour away.

You are not trapped. There are people and resources who want to help you and see you succeed! There are other jobs, other opportunities in your field that will give you experience. You'll figure out new living arrangements and make new plans because you've done it before! Your life is full of opportunities you can’t even fathom right now, but you won’t be able to find these new opportunities if you’re grinding yourself down to an overly-stressed or nervous pulp. Be gentle with yourself.

You are exactly who you’re meant to be in this moment. If you’re lost or confused, that’s OK! Life is shaping you up for something incredible, I promise. Please believe me, you don’t have to feel like your goals are too far away or that you've somehow missed a step. Right now, you’re where you need to be – you don’t have to wait or worry. You’re there. And when you finally reach that goal, you’ll see it took every moment to get you to it.

There are no mistakes in life, just different paths we take – sometimes voluntary and sometimes involuntary. The amazing thing about life is that there are so many roads you can follow to get to the same destination. You can take the highway, make detours, get lost, or take the wrong exit and still make it. What’s more is that there are destinations that no one has ever arrived at before, beautiful, exciting, and new, and waiting just for you! I urge you to be flexible and patient with yourself.

Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers. They are quick to grow from just a seed, and they are bright, colorful, and big. They’re a hardy flower — they’re hard to mess up when you’re growing them. Orchids, on the other hand, take so much longer to grow and they need more attention and care. In my opinion, the exquisite beauty of a delicate orchid is well worth the effort it takes to bloom.

So whatever your growth journey may be — whatever you bloom into — recognize that at the end of it, you were worth all of the effort. You’ll always be worth the effort and the time it takes to feel good about yourself and to get where you want to go.