It's not necessarily something we like to hear. We usually take it as criticism and it's usually meant that way. When someone tells you that you have changed, they tend to mean it in a negative way. They want to get the point across to you that you are different from the person that they used to know, and that they do not like this new person you have become. In other words, the new you has not earned their approval.

Well, the great thing about that is, the new you doesn't need their approval. You have become your new self for a reason. If anyone can't appreciate that, then they simply do not fit as well into your newly evolved life.

Change is good. Change is great. Change is progress.

Change doesn't just happen over night. And change doesn't happen for no reason at all. People change gradually to adjust to their circumstances. We are put in situations that require us to adapt. An aspect of our personality may become more predominate depending on our circumstance. This can even happen subconsciously. We have natural reactions to occurrences, our bodies react physically and emotionally.

We may build on one personality trait while others wither away.

No great experience is ever had without reverberation. You will not undergo treacherous periods in life and come out untouched. You will not undergo mind-blowing experiences and walk away unaffected. Whether you want to or not, your mindset and personalty will alter.

Accept, appreciate and embrace that.

Because of these experiences, you are older and wiser. You have learned what you can and cannot handle. Your limits have been pushed and your patience has been tested. Life will push you and pull you and you will learn how to properly react to those motions.

I, for one, am happy to say that I have changed. I am different and I'm glad that I am. My views have changed. My attitude has changed. My personality has probably changed to some degree. But I am proud to be who I have become.

I have learned that I am capable of enduring things that I could not have fathomed years ago. I have become stronger and keener through these endurances.

I am proud to be the person I have become, and If I hadn't changed, I don't know if I would be able to say that today.

As the philosopher Confucius once said, "As the water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it, so a wise man adapts himself to circumstances." We change to fit our circumstances. We change to survive them. It is natural for us to adjust to our surroundings. The people we spend our time with will inevitably change us. Our friends and family will undoubtedly shape us. The culture we immerse ourselves in will profoundly structure our values.

We were born with the ability to adapt. We have it in our blood. It’s how we keep moving forward.

We are constantly evolving, and that is a wonderful and imperative thing.

You are allowed to change. You are supposed to change. You should not be making the same decisions you were five years ago. You should not have the same reactions to scenarios as you would have five years ago. It just wouldn't be natural.

Don't let the words "You've changed," hit you like a rock. Soak them up as if they were a recognition of your progress as a person. Because in the end, that's all they really are.