The beautiful thing about life is that you have the ability to make it whatever you want. You have the power to choose who your friends are, what foods you like, your college major; everything is your choice. But most importantly you have the power to be whoever you want to be. Sadly, many of us forget that we have that personal choice to be our own person, and fall victim to the constraints society or our family put on us. Naturally, we want to please people and don’t want to cause a commotion, so during our younger years we suppress the expression of ourselves and follow the rules our parents put in place. But as you grow older, you realize that maybe you don’t agree with everything your parents believe, and maybe you’re a different person deep down than the one you’ve been. And you realize the saddest people of all are the ones who are never able to break free from the person everyone else wants them to be.

I’m here to tell you that the most liberating experience in life is discovering who you truly are. Finding the things that make you happy and the people who make you happy. But most importantly, being the person that makes you feel the happiest. Finding yourself allows you to push the boundaries of your comfort zone and explore yourself in ways you have never imagined before. In those moments, you learn more about yourself and what you can endure than your parents could ever teach you. You have the power to transform your life; you just need the courage to start.

Too many people are creatures of habit, and uncomfortable with the thought of change, so instead they choose to live unhappy lives because that’s easier than starting over. And maybe that works for some people and they’ve come to terms with being unhappy, but that’s not how I want to live my life and I hope it’s not how you want to live yours. Taking risks, putting yourself in uncomfortable positions, and rejections are ways that you learn to grow.

As my favorite quote goes, “For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again”. -F. Scott Fitzgerald

So don’t be afraid to take risks, they might become some of the best decisions you’ve ever made. Find the courage deep inside you to do something different for once, something you’ve always wanted to do. Travel alone, see the world; whatever makes you believe that your life is beautiful. And stop analyzing your every move where you forget to enjoy the moment. But most importantly, figure out who you want to be and be them. No matter what anyone says about it. Because it’s no one’s fault but your own if you’re not living a happy life. So choose, and choose happy.