Get lost & find yourself
I’m really happy with where I am in life right now, but I won’t pretend it was an easy journey to get here. College is tough. For the first time, you’re on your own—learning to cook, navigate life, meet new people—all at once. I was so homesick during my freshman year that I went home nearly every weekend. I didn’t know how to thrive without the familiar structure I’d grown up with. Leaving the safe bubble of high school made it hard to know what my next steps should be. Here’s the truth: everyone’s in the same boat. Even those who seem like they’ve got it all together are figuring it out, too.
I learned a lot during my first year of college, though it wasn’t until later that I realized how much I had grown. The thing about growth is, you often don’t recognize it in the moment. It’s only when you look back that you see how far you’ve come.
In between my freshman and sophomore years, I went through a devastating breakup. Looking back now, I can see I overreacted. I let someone who wasn’t even in my life anymore completely alter the way I was living. It sounds crazy, but during that time, I learned how to live quietly. I started surrounding myself with people who uplifted me and turned to God for strength and comfort. I came to understand that while I thought I’d lost everything, God was preparing a whole new chapter for me—one that was better than anything I could have imagined.
This isn’t a story about a heartbroken girl finding herself, though. What I’m really trying to say is that if you want to become a certain kind of person—whether it's the confident girl, the early riser, the avid reader—find people who embody those qualities and surround yourself with them. The people you spend time with shape your life. In my second year of college, I took a step back and reflected on who I was and who I wanted to become. I started being intentional about doing the things that would help me become that person. The people who are successful in their studies study hard; those who wake up early go to bed early; readers pick up books that interest them. It’s the small, consistent changes that eventually add up. One day, you’ll wake up and realize you’ve become the person you used to admire.
People always say that the friends you make in college will be with you for a lifetime; take a minute to think about the kind of people you want to attract. Everyone around you is probably feeling a little lonely and wanting the same friendships that you’re looking for. They're waiting for you to show up—so figure yourself out first, and the rest will fall into place.
