In a time where we find ourselves searching for who we really are, I have noticed a lot of my friends who are also in their mid-twenties struggling to discover the purest form of themselves. In a time where there are so many people trying to encourage our youth to suppress who they really are, I’ve heard so many stories of people being afraid to show their friends and family who they truly are. Whether they are LGBTQ, masculine, feminine, thin or thick, each person who has not “fit” into the box they were categorized into, has had to go through some of the hardest points in their life just so they could be accepted by those who should love and accept them under any circumstance.

This article isn’t dedicated to those who have a hard time loving and accepting; there are enough self-help books at Barnes and Nobel for you. This article is dedicated to those who struggle to accept their most authentic selves. It is for those of you who struggle every day to embrace the person you are growing to be, no matter what may be standing in your way. Whether it be someone you love or your own mind that gets in the way, you deserve the same peace that is embraced by those who deny you yours.

Surround yourself with those who want to uplift you, not hide you

Bring the right people into your life. One of the first things you should do when trying to embrace who you are, is to surround yourself with those who only want to see the best in you. In psychology we are taught that our environments help shape who we are. When you grow up in an environment that isn’t accepting, you will have a harder time accepting yourself and others around you. Fill your circle with positivity, and weed out those who only seem to bring you down. I read somewhere once that there isn’t enough time in our lives to waste on those who want to take away your shine. Allow your shine to say, ‘I love myself for who I am and I love my life.' The change you will begin to see will astound you.

Acknowledge something you love about yourself once a day

When we are conditioned to think of ourselves in a particular way, or to behave in a particular way, it can be difficult to remove yourself from that mindset. Baby steps into a healthier mindset are always encouraged. Finding something you love about yourself at least once a day, whether it be the way your hair looks or your taste in music, is the biggest baby step you can take. Once you find it easier to find things about yourself that you like, try to find three things about yourself throughout the day.

Manifest your dream self into reality

I was once given advice from a woman who said that when we think about something so often, we manifest it into reality. If you believe that you are not deserving of something and you think about that so much, it will manifest itself and become a part of your world. Imagine what you could accomplish if you only put positive energy into the universe. Think about the version of yourself that you see when you close your eyes or you day dream about; are they the type of person that you would associate yourself with? If the answer is yes, simply start thinking of ways on how to make that dream version of yourself come to life. The universe is always listening. The more you ask the more you shall receive.

Forgive yourself

It’s an unfortunate part of human nature that we are hard on ourselves. We have a habit of overthinking and overanalyzing everything we say and do. Being in your mid-twenties can be hard when you are in the process of self-growth because we tend to spend so much time thinking about the person that we were when we were younger, and the things that we wish we could change about ourselves. Stop thinking about the past and start thinking about the future. We go through each experience in our lives in order to help us grow more as individuals; it is up to us to take lessons from these experiences and to choose which path we will move onto next. Practice on not being hard on yourself when you’ve made a mistake. Tell yourself this is a part of your journey, and that there is only room for growth.

I know that embracing all of the parts within yourself is never an easy thing to do. Hell, I struggle with it every day of my life. However, as I grow older and I allow myself to really dig within myself, I realize that I don’t have the time to allow others to hold me back from the potential that is just sitting there within me.

After just turning 24 years old, I know that there is still so much that I have to learn, and so much about myself that I want to change. But just because of my age, that doesn’t mean that I am not worthy of the growth that I think I deserve. I have allowed myself to experience life on a more spiritual level and that has allowed me to see myself in the light I do today. That has nothing to do with religion and everything to do with who I want to be in the next five years. I know that not everyone will be so quick to agree with me on this, but we’ve got to start somewhere, right?

Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it can happen.