I am 21 years old, a senior in college, and about to take the next steps in adulthood. Just those three things can freak anyone out and it has freaked me out. I'm not going to lie college has been the longest journey of self discovery but I can say that at the end I am confident with the person that I have become and I am embracing all the different sides of me.
One of the biggest thing that I have learned to appreciate about myself is being African. I never rejected that side but in college it fueled a fire in me that I never knew was there. I forgot how prevalent being Nigerian was in my life until I surrounded myself with other people who were exactly like me and had similar up bringings. It's crazy to think how comfortable you can be with people who you can relate to, who have the same mindset as you and you can be your complete self around them.
Growing up has taught me the importance of patience and speaking up for yourself. There will be people who subconsciouly try to walk all over you and drown out your voice. Know who you are and make your prescence known in a respectful way.
You grow out of people and that's okay. Every part of your life happens for a reason and you meet people for a reason. Learn the lessons from them. Either you will realize that you want these people to stay in your life or you tell yourself that you're not comfortable and slowly move on to be with people who are more similar to you.
Love will come and it will go and it will force you to ask yourself what you are willing to put up with. It will also test your self worth. Some times it takes that one person to break you in order to REFIND your self worth, self confidence and self respect. Love is one of the biggest life lessons and life tests but don't ever be afriad to open your heart to love the RIGHT person.
You will change... a lot. Your mind will be change, your body will change, your dreams and aspirations will change and you know what it's alright. Everything will be okay. Change has to be one of the scariest things for someone to go through. But with change you will start to grow to heights you never thought imaginable. Let the change happen and in the end you'll be so happy you did.
I'm not done finding myself and i don't think I ever will be, but I'm so glad for everything that I've found out so far.