“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” -Henry David Thoreau

Can you truly look at yourself and say you know who you are, inside and out? I do not know myself in that way and I cannot say I know too many girls who do.

Why am I writing about finding yourself if I have yet to have that happen?

To show that it is possible, so other girls do not pass by the opportunity to learn who they really are. I've realized a few things I need to continue working on to truly find myself:

Everything becomes routine, unfortunately. We get so used to going through the same cycle everyday that we forget what its like to do something off-schedule. Its as if we're scared to defer from what we've come to know so well. That's natural; it won't be easy to try something new, but what if that something changes you? What if that something becomes a passion of yours? I encourage you to go. Go after whatever it is and don't let it go until you're sure it won't benefit you in some way in the long-run.

We stress about anything and everything. We can't help it; it happens naturally. But imagine this: feeling relieved, Having more time to do whatever it is you want because you accomplished what you needed to. Surprisingly, it's not hard to achieve that feeling. Close the social media, set down your phone. Do the homework, study for the test, write the essay. Take an hour or two to accomplish those necessary tasks and the rest of the day is yours. You can go for that walk to take in nature. You can read that book that's been sitting on your desk begging to be read. You can go spend time and laugh with your friends. The options are endless.

Don't let anyone tell you that you're any less of a person than you really are. There will be people surrounding you that try to tear you down. Don't let them. Do not compromise your feelings for anyone because the second you do, they win. That's not who you are, it's not who anyone is. It's disheartening how many girls nowadays have people walking all over them, and often it is other girls, sometimes friends. Take a stance, even if you don't say anything, do not allow anyone to tell you who you are.

It's okay to have time for you. It's okay to be selfish with your time. It's okay to want to be alone. We get scared of being by ourselves, but sometimes that's all we need to figure things out. So take a day, a week, a month, however long you need because I can promise you that it will be so beneficial.

Go out into the world and find the happiness you deserve because it's there, whether you see it now or not. You will. You will see it and everything, all the hard work and soul-searching will be worth it.