I have been ridiculously blessed in my life to always have a village of people around to support and to love me. These people have included my family, friends, and even the families of my best friends. Through every obstacle that I have encountered in my life, I have had a group of people to stand by my side. Over time, that group has grown. Because of these amazing people, I feel confident enough to do things and to go places that I may otherwise have not. So, to say thanks to all these amazing people, here are a few of the reasons I am blessed to have been raised by a village.

1. I always had someone to go to with my problems.

Pretty much no matter what was going in my life, I was able to talk to someone—whether they were family or friend. Some people only have their parents or their friends to talk to, but my list of options has always been pretty much endless. Everybody has plenty of things that they don't want to talk to their parents about or have friend issues they don't want to drag other friends into, and I have always had someone else to go to.

2. No matter where I go, I have connections.

This is definitely a slight exaggeration, but in almost every state and in smatterings around the world I have some sort of friend, or family, or family of friends that are willing to let me stay with them or give me tips on how to survive in the area. I've never been good at business networking, but my village has created a network of supporters far and wide.

3. I have the confidence to go outside of my comfort zone.

Whether this be in regards to travel or just in my personal life choices, having so many people in my life who support me has helped me gain the confidence to know I can be successful in anything I do. I know that no matter what I do and no matter where I go, I will always have this support net to catch me if I ever fall. Knowing I always have a wide-reaching support system has given me the ability to pursue countless opportunities in my life that I would have been terrified to be a part of otherwise.

4. I have the ability to be a part of other people's villages.

Because of all the amazing people I've had in my life, I know what I need to do to support other people in their own lives. The people in my village have encouraged me to support other people just as I have been supported. While I know I can not single handedly support a person (no one should have that kind of responsibility), I do know that I can be a valuable part of someone else's village.