The path to self-discovery is a long, hard journey that we all must face. What I’ve come to find, however, is that it’s not always the path that’s hard to travel, but it’s actually realizing that you’re on the right one that’s harder. We come to think of ourselves as one way for so long that sometimes it’s difficult to tell when we’ve changed. This is something I’ve come to realize recently in my own life and it’s manifested itself in two different ways.

Firstly, I’ve realized that I am no longer a follower, but a leader. Now there isn’t anything wrong with not wanting to be a leader and to take one for the team. I always liked being a follower because I was more comfortable letting someone else take the reins and to just be their support system.

Recently though I’ve realized that I no longer feel this way. When I see something that needs to change, I don’t instantly want someone else to fix it; instead, I think of the ways I could help improve it. I want to be a role model for younger girls, to inspire them and build them up. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I’d want to be a leader and because of this, it’s taken me a long time to realize that I already am one.

Secondly, I’ve realized that I no longer think solely with my head. When I was a freshmen and sophomore in college, I thought completely with my head. I made decisions based off of fact and the information I had. I didn’t let my feelings control me, which isn’t always the best decision. I thought with my head because I was too scared to let my feelings out and think with my heart.

For the past year though, I’ve become a much more emotional person. Lately I’ve been taking a bunch of personality quizzes and when I’d get to the end, I’d realize that the answer wasn’t me. Within the past week, I’ve realized why that is. I was answering the questions with my head like I thought I still did, instead of with my heart. The quote to follow your heart may sound cheesy but sometimes it's what you're supposed to do.

Discovering these two things about myself is what made me realize that the path to self-discovery isn’t always the path you think you’ll take. Sometimes you mistake it for an entirely different path than the one you’re actually on. Doing this can cause you to lose sight of who you are, but it also makes it that much sweeter when the fog goes away and you can finally see everything clearly.