Sometimes change is good. Terrifying? Yes. Difficult? Certainly. Worth it? Absolutely. The amount of change that occurs from the time you turn 10 to the time you turn 20 is outstanding. The people you spend time with, the activities you prioritize, and even the place you live has likely changed in that 10-year period, and for better or for worse, brought you to where you are now.

I for one, was never a big fan of change. When I was nine years old, my parents decided to move into a new house. They told me I would be closer to my friends and I would love the giant backyard with a pool, but I didn’t want to hear it. In the seventh grade, my two best friends from elementary school suddenly became strangers, and I resisted the opportunity to make new friends. Even at 16 when I was finally freed from parent carpool by my license, I was saddened by the time I lost with my parents.

Every one of those changes turned out okay. I loved the new house way more than the last one, I discovered the importance of letting some friends go to make way for new ones, and I found a balance between independence and new ways to spend time with my family.

I am about to turn 20 and am convinced that however daunting it may seem now, this will inevitably be a good change too.

I still remember turning 10 and being so excited that I was in double digits. This changed everything. I was a “big kid” now. I was on my way out of elementary school and headed towards PG-13 movies. I was onto bigger and better things, and I couldn’t wait. Somehow, I made it through the awkward teenage years and into college and am now staring 20 right in the face.

When you’re 10, you know what you’re going to be, where you’re going to live, and who you’re going to spend your life with (or at least the gist of it.) The fine print didn’t matter, you were sure it would fill itself in eventually. By 20, you’re starting to look at that fine print a little closer, wondering when you should start to be concerned that everything isn’t going to plan.

But the thing is, nothing is going to go to plan. And that’s okay. Plans change and lives change. What matters is learning to accept the deviations as they come and learn from them, trusting that it will all turn out okay in the end.

Changes in your 20s become a lot more serious as you face commitment and responsibility as though you were staring down the barrel of a gun. Suddenly there are bills to pay and student loans to worry over. Relationships become less fleeting but sometimes more painful. The concept of a career starts to take form and brings with it a mix of uncertainty and excitement.

No matter what you do or where you end up, you’re 20s are a time of change. Embrace it! Enjoy the opportunity to mold your own future and accept that not everything will always go according to plan. Change is good. Leaving behind your youth and looking onward to adulthood may be terrifying, but embrace it. Who knows where you’ll end up; you may as well enjoy the ride, right?