What is a more beautiful experience than discovering yourself? Finding out your likes and dislikes, knowing what makes you happy and why that makes you happy. Discovering what it is that makes you unique. One of the most rewarding experiences I have had was this past summer, when I chose to discover myself again. By discover, I mean, truly and utterly finding yourself as a human being. Learning what it is that you value and understanding your most inner thoughts. I would advise anyone who might be feeling lost, or those who do not know how to be satisfied within the company of themselves, to spend the summer discovering themselves like I did. I promise you will not be disappointed.

I think the purpose of my journey was because I had been so reliant on other people and their ability to control my happiness. I lost sight of who I was because of this. A lot of us are guilty of giving up the things we enjoy to please those around us. We forget what it is like to be on our own once we become so glued to another person. But it is so important that despite the relationship, whatever it may be, and with whomever it may be, that you never lose sight of yourself. In the long run, the only person you can truly count on to be there for you until the very end is yourself. That is why understanding the things you do and knowing what your likes and dislikes are is so important.

For anyone feeling like they need to find themselves again, I recommend picking up a few new hobbies. Possibly things you never thought you would ever have an interest in, or things you were interested in but never invested time in doing. Last summer, I decided I would try hiking, gardening, baking, and kayaking. Although I did not blossom into the best gardener in the world, everything else made me feel whole again. If I started to feel a wave of dissatisfaction or negativity flooding my mind-- I would engage myself in one of my new hobbies. In doing so, I learned how to avoid letting random sparks of misery ruin a beautiful summer day. I let my life become more positive. I aspired to be myself, a self that didn’t let a bad mood stop her from doing things that would make her happy. I became someone who took control of her life again and was rewarded by stepping outside of her everyday routines just so that she could discover what makes her feel at peace.

Never in my life would I have imagined that spending the summer learning about myself would be as rewarding as it was. For years I struggled with finding motivation to do things outside my comfort zone, whether from fear of failure or displeasing others, I stopped myself from experiencing life. So my advice to all of you is to discover yourself this summer. Learn new things, pick up new hobbies, and enrich your life by finding new ways that inevitably bring you happiness.