Change. Of all the things in life that we can control, change is one we cannot; it's the one thing we can always count on. With my freshman year of college coming to an end, I can honestly say who I was a year ago versus who I am now is completely different - and I owe it all to the inevitable fact that change happens.

As a high school senior, I thought I had everything figured out. I knew where I was going to school, I knew what I wanted to major in, I knew who my best friends were, and most importantly, I thought I knew the type of person I was. Coming into college, a lot of these factors changed. When I wasn't surrounded by the same people day in and day out, I slowly discovered my own opinions, my interests, and started to figure out who I eventually wanted to become. I'm not saying I didn't have my own opinions in high school, or that I didn't love high school (because I did very much) - but when you get used to a certain atmosphere, I believe you subconsciously make decisions based on where you are, and who you are at that time - and that's how it's supposed to be, that's natural.

I've come to realize to be grateful for all of the experiences I have, and the people I meet, for evidently, they're the ones who have an impact on who I will become. I've found that holding grudges or living in regret isn't going to get anyone very far. The only way someone is going to feel better about a situation is taking the initiative to change what they need to, and move on from whatever past situation they might have been struggling with. Understanding that change occurs all the time can help us realize why individuals in our lives make the decisions that they do, within reason, of course (if an individual is changing for the worse, than that's different). It's natural to not understand where they're coming from, or to even disagree with the choice they make, but putting into perspective that they might be trying to improve their life can make the situation easier to accept.

In the end, change is the one thing that will always happen. The worst situations will eventually get better, and the best situations sometimes may take a turn for the worse, but that's bound to happen, that's life. Change is necessary for it allows individuals to grow and reflect on the accomplishments and decisions they've made so far, and allows them to create new goals, and walk down a new path. Changing your major, changing your shoes, changing your friends, or anything else in life doesn't make you unsure of yourself - it makes you human.