People encounter hard times in periods that are long or short, quick or slow, etc., only to fold over into the aftermath that leads us to believe that life is some horrible sentence bestowed upon us. This mindset is one that is difficult to pull yourself from, and it is one that I myself have been thrown into before.

I soon enough found that my reliance on others had become too strong, and that nowadays it is becoming more common for people to go to others for advice when they cannot even accept their own.

Coco Chanel said, "Real beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself." I have this painted in black, white and gold on a canvas that I have in my room and I find more truth in it than I do in anything else.

Through countless obstacles over the past few years, I have learned that you have to rely on and trust yourself more than anyone else. You are the only person who truly understands YOU.

I used to ask other people for their input on almost all of my decisions, including what to order when we were out to eat, which seems simple unless you do it every single time. So, trust yourself to make the right decision and quit asking your friends for what to say when you are texting that special someone. Trust yourself to choose something on the menu in a place where you have not eaten before. Trust yourself to choose the color comforter for your dorm room. It is a simple concept, but one I still find myself struggling to do.

What I did not realize is that by doing this I never figured out what I truly wanted or what my own style really was. I feared the outcome of making the wrong decision or saying the wrong thing-but how will we ever learn to say the right thing if we do not say the wrong?

The worst part is, we are giving advice to others when we ourselves are not comfortable with making these decisions for our own self. If we cannot rely on ourselves, how can we allow others to rely on us too? Through this we grow can grow and find pure happiness.

Give yourself the freedom and time to explore yourself and try new things and make mistakes because you are supposed to. This concept took me a while to grasp as well, despite the number of times we are told to make mistakes, learn from them and move on.

Allow yourself to wear something your friend(s) may not like but you find yourself drawn towards and/or give life to what is constantly on your mind. Discover what you find interest in and trust your instincts. You will not regret it.