Throughout my childhood and college experience, I have always been content with the people I have chosen to be friends with. Although I have always been fortunate enough to find people I've connected with, I have recently realized that it's okay to not necessarily be in a "friend group."
Having a friend group is great and all, but for those who don't consider themselves as part of a "group," all I have to say is that it's okay. Don't think that anything is wrong with you, or that you did something wrong because most of us have felt this way at one time or another. It's great to have friends of all ages and friend groups; no one said you're limited to one group and one group only.
Over the past two years, I have learned to venture out of my comfort zone and talk to new people. Primarily, I give credit to my sorority for this new skill. Before entering college, I was a shy, immature girl that hid behind her friends because she couldn't fend for herself. Now that I've learned how to connect and bond with all different types of people, I couldn't imagine living my life the way I did before. Not only do I now have a few best friends my age that I can turn to, but I have younger friends, older friends and friends I've made through classes and clubs that are not necessarily in my closest "group," but are just as important to me.
Sometimes, it's okay to feel that you're not part of a group. In life, we must venture out on our own and live life independently once we graduate. We won't have our own little "cliques" to seek comfort from when things don't go our way. We won't be living in apartments with our best friends who can tend to our needs every second of every day. We will be on our own. We will need to seek comfort within our very own confidence and self-image. We will be forced to learn to be okay with ourselves because, in the end, that is all we got.
I challenge you from now on to expand your horizons. Talk to someone new in class. Reach out to an old friend to catch up and go out to lunch. Make friends during your extracurricular activities because, in the end, all of these people will teach you valuable lessons to become a better version of yourself. Every single person you interact with has the chance to impact you in one way or another. Learn from others, build connections and bond with people because that is how we grow as individuals. Don't hide behind a clique, don't be afraid to stick up for yourself and most importantly, learn to fend for yourself because in the real world we must learn to be on our own.
