Soon after I welcomed in the new year, I welcomed in my twenties -- a decade that has been hyped up my entire life I almost feared it wouldn't live up to my expectations.

People have continuously said that your twenties are your prime. You accomplish things in your career, you travel, you meet new people constantly, and you make the move into adulthood. It only occurred to me recently that I would soon be living the life that I've been aching to live. It's a responsibility that now falls onto my shoulders, I can no longer blame my parents, childhood, or circumstance on things not going the way I want them to. My life is for the most part now made up of my decisions.

I also took my twentieth birthday as an opportunity to reflect on all of the growth that happened during my teen years. A painful growth, but a much needed time of insight, self-discovery, and formation. I painfully learned about rejection, lost friendships, family relationships, and standing up for one's self. Though I still have much learning to do, I built my core values as a teen. My experiences in my early youth have left an indelible mark on my conscience.

My early youth also holds my physically younger self, and my younger parents. As I get older, they get older too. Therefore, I cherish my youth not just because I was young but because my parents were young and strong too.

As I embark on my twenties, I cherish every lesson learned, every new experience, and every plot twist life throws. I don't want to miss out on any wisdom that comes my way. I only hope that my twenties live up to half of my expectations. With more painful growth, comes more beautiful change -- a decade filled with revolution, discomfort, and adventure.