The Most Exhilarating Experiences Happen When You Decide To Invest In Self

This is my first time writing anything in a long time. If the writing is not up to your expertise, I encourage you to critique this in the comments. If you are entertained in the slightest, then, I appreciate you.

I've been on a journey of self-discovery and admittedly the journey has started to become very long. Or perhaps, the events that have taken place were the starting episodes that kicked off my arc. I've always wondered what kind of person makes this kind of decision in the first place. Are they lost, or are they simply searching for more in life? Are they independent, or are they co-dependent on someone? In fact, a person who decides to soul searching always leaves me with more questions than answers. Do they have to be completely out of their mind, did someone hurt them, or is it simply out of boredom and just merely curious what a dramatic shift in their life would do to not just themselves but to everyone around them?

I suppose for me, a 20-something with no college degree, with aspiring goals to become a best-selling author, journalist, and renaissance woman, my reasoning for self-discovery is a combination of wanting to have a better sense and grasp of my mental wellbeing, emotional stability, and financial freedom. I suppose I should define the term self-discovery for those who are not aware. Oxford's Learning Dictionaries defines self-discovery as:

the process of understanding more about yourself in order to make yourself happier.

This may involve you literally traveling to an unknown place, learning a new skill or hobby, or even getting around people who share your ideas or beliefs. In other ways, it may involve you accessing everything in your childhood and coming to terms with the best (and argumentatively) worst parts of you, and striving to become a better person as a result. But, just what does a better person look like? For me, this was difficult. I have been living with my parent for most of my life and needless to say, I had done the bare minimum of thinking outside of the box, to ripping off that label that says I'm a product of my environment. But it never came without harsh criticism from the very people I held dear to me, typical family and friends. My first step to this came with me wondering why my dreams never took off in the direction that I wanted them to. I was working a dead-end job and only brought home enough money to pay the bills. I was up to my ears in peer pressure and failed romances, and I was just on the cusp of not giving up. But no one would listen to me when I was sure if I needed an escape.

What happens next is the most oddly and yet mentally satisfying opportunity I had in a lifetime. One that, I never assumed I was qualified for: The United States military. I was everything but what I consumed in my mind a soldier to be. Sure, I had relatives who joined but none of the juicy details of combat, or the respect factor, prepared me for my own decision to join. I had made a list, checked it twice, and sworn in. But ultimately, I decided that this was not a good move for me after being in it for a short amount of time. For the first time in my life, a decision that I was okay with. 

 Coming home, I expected things to change but how much was probably idiotic on my part. considering how I left in the first place. I came back to the same problems with the same people, who looked at me like I was stupid for expecting a different outcome if I just up and left. What I ultimately learned was, my problems, both given and self-inflicted, would always be there to welcome me back home with open arms. I just have to adapt and overcome them. I can do it. I just have to take it day by day, and step by step.