George R.R Martin once said:

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

I believe that books shape your personality and who you are far more than most things. I would not be who I am today without days spent reading Harry Potter, The Help, The Diary Of Anne Frank and even Twilight.

As a child, while other kids were outside playing, I was in my room lost in a world entirely new. I soaked up books like they were air. They were my oxygen and caused me to think freely, outside the box. I was lost in the world of dragons, of World War 2, of Hogwarts.

I used to spend hours on my windowsill reading stories of different places, some happy and others tragic. I learned to be a woman by reading quotes from the great women leaders of old like Eleanor Roosevelt, Audrey Hepburn and More. Because of that, I was a strong girl. One that knew her worth and that strove for intelligence.

When I lack inspiration, I read. When I feel lonely, I read.

When I feel sad, I read and am swept away in the sea of a new story, a new beginning. How most girls cut their hair after a breakup, I read a new book and lose myself in it. When my grandmother died, I lost myself in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson. When I have days off, I go to the mountains and I read about ancient Maya ruins and biographies on great queens of the past. When I lack the courage to stand on my own, or when I need comfort, I read the Bible. I reside in the words of God and get lost in the love and comfort it brings.

When I feel confused about what direction I'm headed in, I read the words of writer and explorer Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat Pray Love. I read at home in bed, plenty of coffee shops, random rock formations, the park, the doctors, the airport. I read on planes, on trains and automobiles.

I read to live. Endless books surround me in my room. Quotes fill my camera roll on my phone. I read on every lunch break at work. Like how someone has a spare tire in their car, I have a spare book (which has come in handy a good number of times). When I get my paycheck, I firstly head to Barnes and Noble. I sometimes close my eyes, spin around, and point to a random book to read next, like picking a name out of a hat. I am rarely ever disappointed.

I read once that when you read it provides you with a life changing perspective. There have been so many times in my life where I was confused about what to do about something, or sad and unsure how to emotionally deal with it. I didn't want to keep talking about it to another person with the same advice, so I read. The amount of perspective I have gained from reading a book in those situations has really left a mark on me forever.

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

- Charles William Elliott.

So if you are feeling alone, try reading. Read about adventures in a different place. Read about history and fiction. Read about tragedy and comedy. Of hardships and happiness. Lose yourself in a book and you may find that you've truly actually found yourself.