We've all been at that point in our lives where we've received our glimpse of fully being on our own. It could have been leaving home for the first time to attend college, traveling around the world for a cultural immersion experience, leaving home for basic training to serve in our armed forces, or simply to strike it out on our own.

When I left home around this time four years ago, I would have never pictured myself returning back to my childhood home following graduation.For other millennials finishing up their undergraduate or graduate studies degrees, many of us find ourselves in the same place of returning to mom and dad's to figure out our next step in life. The main mantra of this article may seem like a foreign idea at first and it took me a while to come to terms with it. Everyday when I find myself waking up to soft, baby blue walls in the home I grew up in, I have to tell myself: This is not the end of the world; your time will come.

In August 2012, I was a baby doe-eyed 18-year-old freshman at Mercer University ready to take on the world. I had my next four years planned out due to my type A personality, and I was going to hit every check mark on that list. Well, as in every human being's life, the universe had a different plan for my life. The summer before my sophomore year of college, I found myself in a financial bind and needing to transfer to a new college in three weeks. Yes, I said it: Three weeks. 19 years old without a clue of how to make this transfer possibly happen and dire need to make a plan of action. I knew I had two choices: a) transfer to a school with a fast approaching deadline or b) take a semester or a year off and return at a later date. My type A inner self quickly pulled out the four year plan and it was fight or flight for the next three weeks. After a week of intense research and a text conversation between myself and my best friend, August 2013 I found myself attending a fast-growing university with the prettiest little stadium in America down in South Georgia.

Becoming a student at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia changed my life in more ways than I could have ever imagined. I found friends I had attended Mercer with while at orientation and knew that the decision I had made was one that would place me on the path I had envisioned for myself from a young age. My three years at Georgia Southern were filled with more heartache, laughs, amazing friends and memorable times than I can ever imagine I would have experienced. I studied Arabic in Morocco for a month, was a part of a research team working with human lung cancer models, and member of the executive board for an honor society all while holding at least two part time jobs to cover my bills. Insane, right? Welcome to my life for three years.

Fast forward to my senior year of college, I found my dreams of entering right into graduate school following my undergraduate degree shattered into pieces I could not put back together due to unforeseeable circumstances. I was crushed. In my world, the walls were caving in and everything was a wreck because the plan I had intended to follow for the previous eight years leading up to this moment was no longer a viable option at the moment. Well, being the person that I am, I do what I always do in times of adversity: I picked myself up off the ground, popped the cork off a bottle of Moscato and buckled down on a next course of action (only do step two if you are of legal age!).

I started job searching in November of 2015 when I knew that graduate school was not going to happen in the fall like I had originally planned. I figured with a Bachelor's of Science in chemistry and a concentration in biochemistry, two years of research experience, and a list of accomplishments displaying my multi-tasking throughout my college years would be enough to get a foot in the door fairly quickly. Faster than I could blink, I found myself a small fish in a big pond with no sight of a job opportunity in either direction. Again, I was crushed but this time more defeated than ever. All of my hard work seemed to be worth nothing and the questions were rampant in my mind at million miles per hour. Did I choose the right major? Was there something more I could do? What am I doing wrong in this process?

The answer to these questions are: hell yes, possibly, and its a luck of the draw at this point. I have close friends that were blessed with careers before they even finished their degrees and are flourishing. You chose your major because that is what made you happy. That is your passion whether it be an engineer, a chemist, a musician, a writer, an artist, or even a student with a passion for business or fashion. You found your passion and you need keep working for it. Rome was not built in a day and we all have to come to terms with the idea that determination and hard-work will reap heaps of success that we always envisioned. Your breakthrough is coming! Do not give up on your dreams because they didn't happen when you wanted them to! Following the path of someone else seems appealing, but remember the saying, "the grass isn't always greener on the other side." Their rough times may come later as you are beginning to flourish in your own goals and dreams. The roles could reverse.

To the student who just graduated and find themselves at home with mom and dad, keep pushing for your goals. Patience is truly a virtue at this point in time. This is not the end of the world to be back in your bed at home for a little bit. View it as a time to regroup and plan. Set goals for yourself. By fall 2018, I plan to be in a PhD program working on my doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences. I can take these next two years to save money, extensively plan, and figure out where I want truly want to be in life, as well as which direction I want to take my life in. Remaining positive during this period of transition will do wonders for your outlook on life as well as the steps you take. Being home two weeks now and I already see a change in myself personality wise. For the first week, I was an unmotivated, depressed Snorlax watching my parents extensive cable lineup. If you are unsure of what a Snorlax is, Google will give you a wonderful representation of where I was in my life for a full 168 hours. After that wonderful sloth-like life I was living for a week, I had to wake up and make a change. If myself and millions of others can make a change for the better, you can too.

Don't ever feel that you're alone in this crazy journey full of twists and turns because you are not. There are millions of others out there going through the same thing. To get through this there are three things that can be done to help us get through this transition.

1. Remain positive.

Having a positive attitude will help you maintain a brighter outlook on your situation

2. Be patient and have faith.

Rome was not built in a day, and neither will your career flourish overnight. Give it time to mature and bloom. Nurture it with love and hard work continuously. You will be amazed at what hard work can do.

3. Don't give up on your dream.

It may seem unattainable now, but all greats had to start somewhere. Foster that drive and ambition into your goals and dreams so that you can move forward to that next step. Save money to later invest it or watch a TED Talk to help boost that drive for where you want to be in life. Your passion will always fuel your dreams.

Change starts today. Moving back home isn't the worst thing in the world. You have loving people that believe in you enough to open their homes once again to allow you regain balance on your feet. Use this opportunity as a foundation to continue building and laying bricks to achieve your dreams and goals. You are not alone in this crazy world. There are people in your corner who love you and want you to succeed. I'm in your corner rooting for you! Now you just have to wait for the universe to align and allow your hard work to come full circle. I believe in you, so continue to believe in yourself and don't give up on your dreams.