As summer comes to an end, many, myself included, prepare for the upcoming year.

For some, this means staying static with what they are doing, whether that be school or work. While for others, that means returning from vacation, or from home back to school. Lastly, for some, and everyone at some point, that means an alteration of what “is," embarking on something brand new, and well — change.

A few days ago, I sat at my new student orientation and listened as one of the speakers announced that the first day of classes would be September 22, which is also the day after my birthday. It hit me in that moment, everything that I have ever known is about to change (including my birthday celebrations). For the past 20 years, I have lived in a house with my family. I have had the responsibilities that my father implicated, and the privileges that came along with living at home. I have never been spoiled, and have been working since the day it was legal for me to have a permit. I have not had it easy, and I would like to feel confident that my parents have set me up to be successful, independent from them. Yet the uncertainty and skepticism surrounding my future do terrify me. Knowing that my family will no longer be my physical backbone, and just my moral support, is a strange feeling. Going from living with your blood to people you’ve never met, is less of a step, and more of a leap in terms of change.

Change is scary. But I also think change is really good.

If you’ve already gone through this transition, I am envious and concurrently proud of you — for the fear I feel currently has me more anxious than excited, and that worries me. But for those of you in my shoes...

It feels like it's time to step up to the plate. It's time to be confident in who you are, what you know you can bring to the table and your capabilities. Most importantly, it's time to trust in timing, that you are ready for what you are starting. Whether that be academic, occupational, or personal—change and transition result in discomfort. But what a beautiful thing discomfort is. Being uncomfortable is when you grow, and I feel quite strongly in saying a life without growth is a life I am not interested in. You are stepping outside of your comfort zone, and that is something to be applauded. Change means meeting new people, people you may have never crossed paths with before. It means building networks and stumbling into opportunities you would have never been exposed to.

It is scary to think when I wake up in the morning, I won't be walking down the same stairs I am used to any longer, or hearing the yells of my family getting ready for the day. But It is simultaneously exciting to think I will be exposed to something so new.

It is just those first few months.

When stepping into something new, the growth you experience usually occurs in the first few months, or what I'd like to call the “transitional period." It’s basically the interval of time that you find your “groove." Perhaps to you, that means finding the path you will walk to class, completing your training at working or making a few good friends. Regardless of what it is, it will pass — and you will be comfortable eventually. Once you are, you will be so proud of yourself and the growth you have experienced. You will learn so much about yourself and your surroundings in the process.

Get excited, be excited, stay excited.

The best is yet to come.