Happy Self-Love Sunday!

I hope you all have been enjoying yourselves. I have literally been booked & busy. So I haven’t been giving you all content like I should. But just be patient with me. The road to graduation is quickly approaching and I have been running around nonstop. However, I will make sure to keep you all updated and provide some content for you. Speaking of graduation, since that time is right around the corner, I have been reflecting on my college career. And because of these reflections, I have today’s topic for you.

At some point in time, everyone begins to wonder who am I? This question invokes the process of determining who you are. And this process looks different for everyone, because we are all unique. Trying to determine who you are involves a variety of things, such as determining what you are passionate about. Being passionate about something gives you a sense of purpose, it adds value to your life. Sometimes the journey of finding out who you are can be strenuous, but it is always worthwhile.

As I mentioned above, I have been reflecting a lot. These reflections allowed me to come to the revelation that during my college years, I gained a better  sense of myself and who I am. It’s amazing to reflect on who I was when I started college and where I am now. It took my so long to figure out who I am, because I was my own biggest enemy. I used to constantly doubt myself. I also used to hold onto these notions that I came up with in my head of how I believed other people thought about me. Freshman year I really held myself back socially because I felt I was too shy. Because of this shyness, I felt I could not do a lot of things. However, I wanted to meet new people, I wanted to socialize, I wanted to be involved. So at some point in time during the summer after freshman year & before sophomore year began, I decided to stop holding myself back. I used my voice to interact with others and I became more involved. I didn’t have a car and because of these newfound friendships and connections, I was able to volunteer with various organizations, which is something I am truly passionate about. At some point and time, we all have to stop doubting ourselves. We have to stop saying what we can not do and focus on making an effort to do these things, we have to turn our cant’s into cans. We have to overcome ourselves.

My love for meeting others and volunteering has allowed me to constantly rediscover who I am. We are all human. We all have days and moments when it just seems as if everything is not going right. Sometimes it just seems like we can’t get out of a rough patch in our lives. And for me, that’s when my love for meeting new people through service comes into play. For Spring Break, I originally had nothing planned. However, I decided to go on this service trip to New Orleans, even though I went last spring break. After the trip was over, I came home feeling so rejuvenated and refreshed. This last year of college has drained me, I  have a serious case of senioritis and have found myself just going through the motions more often than not. Being able to volunteer and meet some amazing individuals reminded me of who I am and what I hold near to my heart. I didn’t forget what I was passionate about, however, my life has been like a rollercoaster ride that hasn’t slowed down or ended. I never get to really rest because I am always moving. I wanted to just relax but my love for service called back to this trip. Therefore, this service trip was much-needed! Consider what you are passionate about. Consider what activities make you feel good and inspire you to do more, to be creative, to reach for the stars. Whatever things you come up with are all apart of who you are.

Nobody else in the world can define who you are. Do not give people power over your life. Just because someone says something does not make it true. So it’s important for you to realize who you are. Because people will try to tell you about yourself, more often than not. But you have to be confident and secure in who you are in order to take listen to their words & then try to adjust yourself solely based on their opinions. No other human knows you like you know yourself. So don’t even let the opinions of others hold weight. And if people are trying to define you and say some things that leave you feeling unsettled, seek God. We can’t figure out who we are on our own. And he is always with us, so why not utilize the most powerful resource. Ask him to remove any judgments made by others that are clouding your own judgment of yourself. And if nobody else knows you and your heart, God does. Ask him to reveal some things to you about yourself. He will remind you of who you are, whose you are & to whom you belong.

I believe finding who you are is a never-ending process. I am continuously learning more and more about myself, even at the age of twenty-two. And I don’t have everything all figured out. I know what I like, what I dislike, and a variety of other things. However, you can & will always discover things about yourself through new interactions and adventures. Today, I challenge you to open up your mind. Ask yourself, who am I? And then reflect on your answer. Think about all the things that make you who you are & how they intersect in order to do so. It’s a beautiful thing to discover who you are, especially when this is determined by you & not others. I challenge you all to always explore your passions & continuously better yourself. You never know what new things you might discover about who you are.