Change; to make different, to alter or modify, to replace something with something else, to substitute one thing for another. Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Malala Yousafzai, and many more have all said things regarding change and growth but my favorite quote is from Harrison Ford, “We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less second chances.” This quote in itself shows us that despite what we do at the moment we are always lucky to have another moment. Life is short so we need to live it to the best of our ability.
We change every day, we each have our set routines in life, so a change could be as simple as taking a new route to school, or wearing jeans instead of leggings. But then change could also be a big thing, like switching schools or moving to a different city. In my seventeen, almost eighteen years of life, I have seen and been through many changes. Some of the most significant changes in my life have been here at RHP.
Coming here four years ago was one of the best decisions I ever made. Yet, I wasn’t always happy here. Leaving all my friends behind at my old school was hard; coming here it felt like everybody had already made their cliques and friendships and I was that one person who couldn’t find friends to hang out with. As the year went on I jumped from group to group trying to find my place on campus. I tried to fit into what other people thought I should be. This caused me to change a lot, the way I carried myself and the way I viewed myself had changed.
I finally learned that keeping certain friendships made my life harder and toxic, so in the end, ending them was better and healthier for everyone around us. I finally realized I don't need to be in one group-- I could be in multiple. So as the time went on and I never ended up in one clique, I created my own. I found friends that made my life interesting and fun.
I’ve learned friendships are something that everyone benefits from, and sometimes you overlook the flaws that people have. But you don’t have to change yourself to fit someone else’s stereotypes, or change yourself to make others happy. You don’t have to speak a certain way, dress a certain way, all to make someone else happier. The only person you need to make happy is yourself. So if you want to change the way you look, or the way you dress, or the way you talk, do it because you want to, not because someone wants you to.
Friendships come and go, but the one relationship that you will never lose is the one with yourself. You can lose yourself 100 times and come back and find yourself again. But you will come back to yourself as a different person. Friendships are extremely important, but loving yourself is even more important. No one should tell you how you should feel, no one should tell you that you’re not pretty enough, that no one likes you, or influence you to do certain things. A good friend is the person who will pick you up after you break apart, and the person that will be there to help put you back together.
No matter what in your life you will experience change of some sort. Whether it’s changing your major five times or moving to a different country. Whether it’s the loss of someone you love, or the gaining of someone new. You will experience change, just make sure it's the change you want to make. And if your friends don’t support you, don’t be afraid to change them, too.