Finding yourself is a journey we all take at different times in our lives. It’s usually sparked by some big event, like going off to college, a death in the family, a break-up, or when it’s time to move out of your parents' place. No matter what the initial reason is, it’s a journey we all have to take at some point to grow and fully learn about ourselves and what we want out of this life. Parts of it may be tough, losing friends and lovers, but gaining new ones will be exciting and fresh. The thing is, you have to open yourself up to it. Open yourself up to the experiences life is willing to offer you. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Don’t be afraid to say yes or no sternly. Don’t be afraid to lose people who were toxic for you. Don’t be afraid to travel. Don’t be afraid to be alone. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. These are all things that are so important in allowing ourselves to grow into exactly who we want to be. And everyone has had to do this at some point in their life, whether they were 22 or 45.

As you grow older, you realize the importance of certain things, most commonly the things you took for granted while you were younger. Whether it’s material items, people, or experiences, there’s always going to be a time where you were neglectful in the way you approached it, and that’s fine! That’s normal. You cannot beat yourself up over things that happened in the past - all you can do is learn and better yourself for the future.

I found myself in college. And while I'm still taking the ride, I have grown a lot in the past few years and am no longer the same person I used to be. I’ve been hurt, neglected and mistreated and ultimately came out a better person. Being broken leaves you with no other option than to fix yourself, and while doing that you learn a lot about your own mind, body and soul. You end up being thankful that someone hurt you in the first place, giving you that push you needed to find yourself and figure out what you need from this life.

“Finding yourself” is something that gets tossed around a lot, which seems to take some of the meaning away from it, but it is a very important step in your life that shouldn’t be overlooked. Your mind, body and soul are such beautiful entities that need to be taken care of, and you need to take care of them for yourself. Don’t rely on anyone else to be what you need - you need to be what you need. That’s where most of us get lost. We find someone we love deeply and expect them to always be there. The fact of the matter is, only you will always be there for yourself. Be selfish. Do what you love. Say what you think. Find yourself and realize that you are you and that is all you need.