Growing up is a scary, weird feat to accomplish at times. With no rule book to life, it can seem like we’re walking around aimlessly without much of a plan - but here’s the thing, that’s just living your life and figuring yourself out.
In college, we get to choose who we hang out with, how much we study, how often we go to class, how we spend our free time, etc. etc. We have a LOT of freedom as to what we decide to do with our lives. With this freedom, sometimes we do change and grow more towards a certain lifestyle with different interests than we had before college. Unfortunately, people that aren’t at that same point in their lives might not understand your growth and might say “you’ve changed,” ….and most of the time they don’t mean it in a good way.
The thing about college is that everyone is doing their own thing in order to grow as an individual person. We all live our lives at different paces, so sometimes we mentally grow away from friends in that we're just not on the same level anymore. Whether you're mentally or physically a few hundred miles apart, sometimes they just don’t understand the brand new world that you’re experiencing, so they don’t quite understand who you’re becoming. It’s not that they’re trying to hold you back and they don’t want you to become a more well-rounded person, they’re just trying to hold onto the you they used to know. Sometimes people try to make your life their business, too; don't worry about them. Don’t let them take away from your experiences or bring you down. Even new friends might notice a difference in you semester-by-semester, but as long as you are changing for the better, that’s really all you have to worry about.
Change is hard to come by, though. Change is scary! While it might be very needed in your life or necessary for you to grow into a better person, it’s hard to start. The biggest obstacle, while growing up and figuring yourself out, is usually you. It’s hard to get used to a new way of life, whether it’s a new job, a new city, or a new chapter that you’re beginning in your life. We, as humans, are creatures of habit. But there will inevitably come a point in time where you need to move on, even if that means leaving a place or a person behind. Change is never easy, but there is always a great feeling that comes with it, especially when you know you’re doing what’s best for you.
Overall, the person that can make the most change in your life is you. If you aren’t happy with how your life is going, you have to make the choice to fix it and carry out your decision. Fight against the odds, fight against the negativity and live the best life for yourself.
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” George Bernard Shaw
