Every day, a beautiful ring lives on my right middle finger -- a little tiara that sparkles even in the darkest lighting. Extraordinary gifts from extremely thoughtful individuals deserve to be cherished on a daily basis.

So the other morning, I was running late. Shocker. In my frustration and panic, I forgot to grab my ring and slide it on, and the whole ride in the car felt off. There was a definite void, and I knew that a significant part of me was missing, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it might be. When I sat down later in the day and realized there was no clanking of silver against a pen I was holding, that’s when I realized that my finger was unadorned.

For the rest of the day, I slid my thumb over the empty spot again and again; even though I do not normally fidget with my hands, I couldn’t help but feel where my ring was not throughout the school day. In retrospect, it was definitely a trifle to be thrown off by, but in the moment, I felt that my entire groove was off because I didn’t have this piece of jewelry to which I have grown so accustomed.

So why did I feel so naked without an accessory that doesn’t even cover anything in the first place?

Most simply, it is because I have incorporated this ring into my daily lifestyle. When it was suddenly stripped away without warning, I felt strangely vulnerable, despite the fact that it had no impact on my peers. If I hadn’t complained to a few of them that I had forgotten my ring that morning, they wouldn’t have had the slightest clue -- honestly, I don’t think many really cared anyway… you win some, you lose some.

In my life, I have a number of rings that I rely on to mask parts of myself. I avoid confrontation because I want to be defined as a nice person. I act confident to hide insecurity. These are social crutches that when stripped away leave me with an altered sense of who I am.

As I gain more friends outside of my solid core group through expanding my social horizons, I find myself revealing my true colors more than ever before. Every day I am becoming more disoriented with who I am, but that in of itself is invigorating. It is a remarkable thing to be able to chart your personal evolution, and I feel that this is just the beginning of my journey of genuineness.

Today, I challenge you to take off your rings that currently define you. Let your thumb run over the empty space, and realize that sometimes you need to let go in order to grow. While I will still continue to wear my real ring every day (who can resist a gorgeous, sparkly ring?), I will continually work on cutting off those metaphorical rings that are holding me back. For the first time in my life, I am shedding who I was, and I am finding who I am meant to be. It’s never too late for you to do the same.