As we grow up, we are constantly learning new things about ourselves. When we were younger, we figured out what our favorite colors, food, and toys were. As we started going through high school, we learned even more. We learned what our style was and how we wanted other people to view us. We picked which friends we wanted to hang out with and if we wanted to stay in or go out on the weekends. We learned about relationships, love and heartbreak. We learned what we were interested in and who we wanted to be. But most importantly, we learned how dealing with love, loss, disappointments, accomplishments, wins, heartbreak, bad grades, good grades, fun times, and bad times taught us who we were.
As a little kid, the biggest choices we had to make were picking out our toys for Christmas, choosing what to be for Halloween, and choosing between a High School Musical or Camp Rock backpack. As we get older, we have more decisions to make and the choices get harder. To be able to make these big decisions, we have to figure out who we are and what we like to do. We have to find ourselves.
One of the first things you have to do in finding yourself is be your true self. One thing that I learned in college is that nobody cares about what you did in high school or who you were then. Don't be ashamed or afraid of doing things that you like or love to do. If you hide who you are and don't do the things that you like to do, you will never be truly happy. Don't hide your emotions or what you are thinking because your thoughts and feelings matter.
Another step is to be open to new things and maybe even step outside of your comfort zone. You have to find things that you like to do. Find things that you are passionate about. Everyone has something that they love to do. Everyone has a passion. To find your passion, you have to try different things. Try sports, music, volunteering, working, reading. Just try anything because you never know what you will love to do. Once you find your passion or something that makes you happy, apply it to your life. If you are really into chess, go join a chess club. If you love different cultures and meeting new people, go travel the world. If you love being by the ocean, go open a surf shop on the coast. If you are dedicated to finding love and have given up on finding it for yourself, apply for "The Bachelor." If you love cooking, try and go to culinary school to open your own restaurant. Once you find something that you love, stick with it and follow your passions.
Along the way, you will come across things that you don't like and you might even make mistakes. This is all a part of figuring out who you are. The only way to truly get to know yourself is by doing a bunch of different things and knowing what you don't like to do and learn from your past.
Once you figure out what you are passionate about and what makes you happy, the fun part of life comes along. This is when you finally get to pursue your passions. For example, I finally decided that I wanted to write, so I joined Odyssey. I love traveling, so I learned Spanish in High School and am taking French in College so when I get to travel I can understand languages. I love working with kids, so I taught religion and volunteered at a preschool. All of these opportunities came to me because I found what I love to do and what I am passionate about. As you continue to learn more about yourself, there will be endless amounts of opportunities to pursue what makes you happy.
So get out there and find yourself.
