Being young and feeling trapped in your hometown is something I think every young adult has gone through at some point while growing up. As I graduated high school and only went to a college 30 minutes away from home, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing, so I decided to take a chance. I moved 17 hours away from home to Orlando, Florida, something that is nothing like my little hometown in Ohio, and I was away for four months. I had been in a very bad state of mind before I left, and I decided that something needed to change. I was only 19 years old and I never had the experience of being away from home, but during my leap of faith, I learned quite a few valuable life lessons.
I became more open-minded.
I started to realize I didn't want to be the one to stay in my hometown forever. I wanted to be somewhere where my heart was. I also started to become more open to the idea of giving people chances and taking risks because life is too short.
You start over.
When you leave home, no one knows who you are, what you've done, or what you've been through. You get a clean slate and sometimes it's nice to start off somewhere where you can build your own reputation and image.
You have self-realizations.
While being away, I learned that I would much rather live by myself and that I'm more introverted than I thought. I also learned that I'm very good with all different types of people whether communicating or being interactive. When you're off on your own you don't have to word about the pressure of everyone at home, and you get to know yourself a lot better.
You realize who's there.
Being away made my bond with my family stronger, and I knew who was there to support me. I also realized which friends cared enough to keep in contact and which ones didn't.
Adulting.
I actually got my first experience at "adulting." I paid my own rent, was in charge of taking my transportation at the appropriate time, making work on time and overall being responsible for myself and learning how to do things on my own. It's a good way to practice for the future.
You get to explore.
Being away from home gives you the opportunity to explore so many things. You get to realize what is for you and what is not the best for you. You get to experience and learn about new opportunities that may even take you toward a new direction in life.
You get to find yourself.
When you're in a new environment you get to have new experiences. When you venture away for awhile you really get to know yourself and get to decide what's best for you on your own.
Leaving home takes a little courage but it's something you'll never regret doing for yourself. Sometimes all we need to do is take a leap of faith and you never know where your journey may take you.
