9,200 kilometers away from the place I have called home my whole life. The parks, the beaches, my family, and my pets that once seemed so close and now so far. This is my story, a young girl who decided to leave for one month her small island in the Caribbean called Aruba to explore a beautiful and unique country with great opportunities called Macedonia. With fears, nerves, and at the same time with a desire to see what this beautiful planet that millions of people call home has to offer us. I packed everything in one suitcase and set out to fulfill my dream. 

Adjusting to a new place is demanding , but we have to try. Everything in life is not easy at first, but we learn on the way how to feel more comfortable in new places. A new dawn, new scents, new things that brighten our day. Who said that leaving your comfort zone is easy? Because it certainly is not. Leaving everything behind to fulfill dreams is a brave decision. 

Adapting to a supremely new place is not easy, it takes time and effort to learn about beautiful things we have in our environment. With perseverance and dedication, we will surely achieve great things. Maybe not in the way we want to, but we must trust that it will lead us to where we are meant to be.

Rain does not last forever, just like storms. We have to go through difficult situations to grow as a human being. It is part of life. It is a beautiful process to see how we start step by step to be able to grow. Like plants need rain to grow step by step to become the most beautiful tree so do butterflies, butterflies evolve step by step to open their beautiful wings and show the world their wonderful colors.

Sometimes we spend our whole lives thinking about what our future will be like. Whether it will be as we imagine it, whether we will achieve all our goals. But I have learned that life or our future is not something we can completely control. It is not a video game that we can control to be the best. I think it is important to be okay when something does not turn out as we wanted. I believe we do not actually make mistakes, I see it more as a lesson.  There is always something that we must learn from that difficult situation that we are going through at the moment. One of my favorite quotes is “You may wonder why bad things have to happen to me. But I think life gives its best warriors the toughest battles”. I honestly believe that many of us can relate to this quote, as we see everyone living their best life, while we are going through a hard situation. But have patience, your time to shine is coming.

Life can be heavy, especially if you try to carry it all at once, part of growing up and moving into new chapters of your life is about catch or release. What I mean by that is, knowing what things to keep and what things to release. You cannot carry all things. Decide what is yours to hold and let the rest go.

The most important thing is to learn to control your thoughts. Do not  let your mind deceive you into thinking that you cannot, because you are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to. Take risks and do not dwell on “what if” scenarios. I know stepping out of our comfort zone can be terrifying, but if we never leave that safe little space, we will not be able to spread our wings and explore new horizons. Never doubt your abilities. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Believe in yourself and do not be too hard on yourself. You are special. I believe in you. Remember that “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

Angely Alvarez

Sources:

Peace of Mind Tips and Advice for calmness and Tranquility (successconsciousness.com)

The Path to Personal Growth | Psychology Today