Hey, Young People

I have never felt stronger about independence until I took a leap and United Airlines 2,360 miles and planted myself in Los Angeles, California from the small town of Boyertown, Pennsylvania. Do not get me wrong, I have always felt myself to be self-sufficient and independent: started working when I was 14 years old, relied on myself to carry my own burden of emotions as well as help others push through their own. However, independence took on an entirely new meaning for me when I learned to build a new life for myself, completely starting over. It’s amazing to me that I hear “I can’t believe you did that.. you’re so brave!... good for you... I could never do that”. I literally just think to myself: ‘well why not?’ I honestly believe that more people should do it. Yes, I am talking to the young souls who feel trapped in the circumstances that they find themselves simply because comfort and fear hinder them from reaching out. However, I see too many people unhappy in the predicaments they live in, and do nothing about it. I wish you understood that no matter how old you are, your happiness plays the largest role in the success of your life. At any moment that you don’t favor the way things are going for you, only you have the power to change that. I never realized how strong I really was until reality slapped me in the face and I had to learn to adapt to the lack of comfort I had immersed myself in; because growth and comfort cease to exist in the same location. It wasn’t until I stood face to face with who I really was to be able to begin to produce my own meaning to my life, instead of live the way I was told I was supposed to. If a genie was here to grant me three wishes, my biggest wish would be that people weren’t so afraid to face themselves head on in order to construct themselves and to find the power we hold within ourselves to love the flaws that bloom to growth, because there is so much more to learn about ourselves than what we realize this very moment. This giant move across the United States has not been a cake walk and circumstances were not ideal at first, but I am forever grateful for the love and support I received across the country and within my own, new home while I struggled to remember the person I truly was, and that is something I will never take for granted. I know that there is purpose in the mayhem, but the best part of that journey is learning to maneuver through it, coming out strong, and looking back excited to venture through the next obstacle that comes my way, rather than run or hide from it, because the only way to realize your true character is to immerse yourself into a place where all you must rely on for your soul to survive is you, because no one knows it true but you, and no one can push through it for you. I will forever hold on to the true love I have experienced during this journey and continue to radiate that love on to you as I continue to bloom into the person I am meant to be. My second wish is that I am able to touch a few souls and change a few lives in the name of love, glimpsing back on where I started, with a clear vision of the endless possibilities of where we can all go, together. That individual journey is solely independent, but no one must walk it alone. My third wish is for you not to think a huge move is going to help you find your way to you. I wish for those to realize that it is okay to take a stand and change the way you are living if it comes to the expense of your overall wellbeing. You cannot help others until you learn to help yourself, first. And, that is okay. If no one has told you today, or any day, or maybe they have, but you do matter. People DO matter. Regardless of your circumstance, your past, your upbringing and your flaws, you do matter more than enough to take a stand for your happiness. Oh, and for the boys of One Direction to stop messing around making music solo dolo and just produce it together because I know it’s what we all want. Today’s takeaway: never forget who you are and everything that got you to this very moment, but do not dwell in the past. Never ever stop believing in yourself because better days have yet to come, and today doesn’t seem like a bad place to start, right?