It’s crazy how much one person can change your life. For years, we search for “that person,” our person, who is destined to make us whole. At the same time, though, we often lose who we are. We tend to focus less on developing our morals and values that help us become better people, and instead place almost all of our focus on searching for the missing pieces of ourselves in another individual.

The naturally occurring process that is finding your person cannot be forced; we cannot be put together like a puzzle. If we attempt to piece ourselves together, we will still find ourselves missing the one piece of the one-thousand-piece puzzle that seemed to slip out of the box. But, when you do find that person, whether it’s in your elementary years, your 20s or around the time of retirement; you will feel complete. You will be able to see the bigger picture.

To the one person I’m glad I met: thank you.

Thank you for being selfless enough to give your time, your advice and your genuine honesty to others while also being selfish enough as to not lose yourself. When I first met you, I knew that you feared being selfish. You thought that it was a flaw, that you should not care about yourself because other people have it worse and that it was your responsibility to make everyone whole. As our relationship grew, though, I watched you learn to stand up for yourself, to voice your opinion and be sure as to not lose your sense of being while also helping others at every possible chance.

Thank you for working hard, but also for knowing when to take a step back and breathe. We are always working for something. We work hard throughout high school to be admitted to the University of our choice, and then we work hard throughout college to get the job we want. We work hard at our job to get a promotion, and once we fulfill these responsibilities, we then work for our families and children.

When I first met you, I realized that you refused to stop until you completed every piece of work under the sun. As I became more familiar with you, I realized that you did not let your work get to your head, that there were times that you closed your books and went out to dinner with friends or just hung out in bed.

Thank you for being proud of your accomplishments even when you encounter failure. Life is a learning game; you never know until you try, but you also may not get it on your first try. Failure is another chance to succeed.

When I first met you, I knew you were scared of failure. I knew that you watched every move you made and over thought every thought there ever was, but as I began to come closer to you, I saw you find light in your smaller accomplishments. I watched you try things you failed at in order to find passion in other things.

Thank you for making everything a bit more fun but also knowing when it’s time to be serious. Holding your humiliating jokes back should never be an option; if it makes you smile, then do it. Laughter is the best form of therapy. Create it and spread it to others; I have watched you do this and know that it goes a long way.

Thank you for knowing that it’s okay to be lost. Some things are easily replaceable. If it can make you, it can break you. The only thing that you can not replace is yourself. It’s okay to lose sight of where you are or where you’re going, but never lose sight of yourself. Remember that.

Thank you for knowing that good things take time. Who you are is a work in progress, and no one ever knows when you will be complete. Time is a concept that we have no control over, but we do have control over knowing that who you are today is better than you who were yesterday. I have seen you grow, I have seen you blossom, and I have most definitely seen you become better over time.

Thank you for acknowledging the past but living in the present. The past is something that you can not change, and you know it. You have taught me to focus on the now, to focus on the "me" that I can change, not the "me" that I used to be. Again, good things take time. Your past is not a representation of you who are but rather a symbol of how far you’ve come.

And lastly, thank you for knowing that other people can’t love you if you don’t love yourself, so you might as well start by loving yourself. Flaws are what make us different. They don’t go away by picking ourselves apart for them. A flower doesn’t grow by picking its petals off. Thank you for showing me that self-love is the most important type of love, and once you love yourself, others love you more. It’s hard to do, but it’s life-changing. I have seen you go through it.

To myself, the real me, that is, thank you. Thank you for finding your own place within a world much larger than yourself and for experiencing trial-and-error for so many years to create the best you that you can be.