We hear all these cliches about "finding yourself," but what does that even mean... Self? Where are you? Self, is that you? If only it were that easy. Before I actually started to find myself, I thought this whole "self discovery" concept was absolute crap. Not going to lie, I was pretty stubborn at the age of 13 (surprise, surprise!) I knew for a fact I wanted to be a constitutional lawyer and work in the Supreme Court one day. But hey, guess what, that didn't happen. That was me finding myself before I even knew it.
One thing I will say is that you can't just go out and travel the world in hopes to find yourself. As much as you hear it in songs or see it on Twitter or Tumblr, honey, it's just not true. Traveling and seeing how other people live humbles you. I've been to a beach where over 2,400 American men died, and most of them were my age. Seeing that humbled me, but it did not promote my own growth or self discovery. While for me, it hit a little harder just because of my passion for history, but it didn't help me decide who I am. Contrary to the popular belief of our society, self discovery includes a whole lot of God. Oh no, I hear the gasps coming from mouths of triggered teens everywhere. Yes. I said God.
As Christians, we tend to pray for things. Alright, there's nothing wrong with that. But have you ever stepped back and tried to analyze what you're praying for? I think what a person prays for says a lot about them. Don't worry, all of us realize that we do not pray nearly as much as we should, so don't get discouraged. But take a look, is your praying all about you, or does it include healing for others?
Another really cheesy way to do it is to find yourself in people you love. The people who first mold you are your family, your teachers and other role models you may have. So if you were to do some "soul searching," where would you look? Sometimes it's hard to pick a few core values and that's it. You might care about a lot of things and not be able to narrow it down. If you have a big variety of things you're passionate about, don't let anyone take that away from you. You are well-rounded and be proud of that.
As I got older, I realized I had interest in a lot of different things, some I thought were more embarrassing. This was the dreaded high school age where I thought I had to live for everyone else. My freshman year, I remember I was nervous to join the mock trial team. I thought, "people are going to think I am a complete nerd." Finally the next year, I matured and realized that I don't need to please anyone and I shouldn't be held back. With the help of a friend, I joined and loved every single minute of it.
So, in a nutshell, finding yourself doesn't happen overnight or when you travel, it takes time and patience. One day, parts of it will hit you like a ton of bricks. I've learned that you can't really do it without God. The more you integrate God into your everyday life, the happier and more self accepting you become.
