As humans, we are constantly evolving as individuals, whether it be something as small as a change in taste buds, to something much larger like a change of heart.

These changes could be so slight that they aren’t even noticed until much later, however they could happen so suddenly that it surprises you. I find this never-ending evolution to be completely fascinating.

I consider myself to be a changed person compared to who I was five years ago. Sure I still have many of my same character traits; I am still just as stubborn, and procrastinating is something I still do on a daily basis, but I have grown a lot as a person.

In the past five years one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is to be happy. I used to try really hard to please other people and in the process of doing so I was acting like someone who was completely unfamiliar to me. I bent over backwards to try and make sure that people, who weren’t even my friends, would like me. One day I asked myself why I was doing that and I couldn’t answer the question. Now, the people I am friends with are people I don’t need to please. I always act like myself around everyone, even if myself is weird, silly or sometimes just plain awkward.

Another large part of my evolution included becoming passionate about my goals and dreams. Once I realized what I wanted to do with my life, I got into gear and started working above and beyond to make those dreams come true. I have had a lot of challenges and roadblocks come my way, but an important part of growing up is learning how to get through those hurdles and come back stronger than before.

Every day I strive to be a better person than I was the day before. Change is a part of life, and it is okay to embrace that. I have fully accepted that I am a person who is endlessly evolving whether it’s my new love of honey mustard to being a more authentic person.