College
My childhood was crazy and full of extreme changes; in a period of only three years, my life changed completely. These changes ranged widely starting when my childhood house burned down on my seventh birthday, to a series of subsequent moves , to my parents’ divorce, to moving over two thousands miles to Illinois with my mom and sister after almost a decade of living in New York, ending with my dad passing away when I was only eleven. (Clean up this sentence, seems a bit long). After those few years, I became an extreme creature of habit, afraid of change and the unknown that comes with making new, different decisions: regardless of how small the decisions may be. It wasn't just fear of change that caused me to feel this way, but …show more content…
I did not have to be the same person I was pressured to be back in Illinois. Growing up in such a small town, everyone knows who you are and everyone has an expectation for you to be the same person your whole life. Once you chose a friend group, you were, in a sense, expected to stay with that group. True friends or not, everyone just did the same activities within their friend groups. Moving to California drastically changed my life because I could start over. Since nobody knew who I was, there was no pressure to be someone who I am not. I could experience many new things and live my life however I chose to. As a kid, I was raised in a very religious household that limited what I could wear, eat, drink, say, and much more. I was told exactly what to believe and what to do; I felt like I was watching my life instead of living it. Although I did not believe what I was taught, I was still forced to attend five hours of church every single week. It was like a prison, trapped by the expectations of my friends and the rules of my parents. Being on my own, I have been able to choose my faith because without those external pressures I can finally take control of my faith. I love being able to drink coffee and wear shorts. With this new-found freedom, I have been able to discover who I truly am, being able to live my life how I want has made everything so much more enjoyable. Worrying about what other people thought of me and meeting their expectations hindered my ability to live life to the fullest. Thankfully, I no longer worry about what other people think about me, and can make decisions based on what I feel is best for
My childhood was crazy and full of extreme changes; in a period of only three years, my life changed completely. These changes ranged widely starting when my childhood house burned down on my seventh birthday, to a series of subsequent moves , to my parents’ divorce, to moving over two thousands miles to Illinois with my mom and sister after almost a decade of living in New York, ending with my dad passing away when I was only eleven. (Clean up this sentence, seems a bit long). After those few years, I became an extreme creature of habit, afraid of change and the unknown that comes with making new, different decisions: regardless of how small the decisions may be. It wasn't just fear of change that caused me to feel this way, but …show more content…
I did not have to be the same person I was pressured to be back in Illinois. Growing up in such a small town, everyone knows who you are and everyone has an expectation for you to be the same person your whole life. Once you chose a friend group, you were, in a sense, expected to stay with that group. True friends or not, everyone just did the same activities within their friend groups. Moving to California drastically changed my life because I could start over. Since nobody knew who I was, there was no pressure to be someone who I am not. I could experience many new things and live my life however I chose to. As a kid, I was raised in a very religious household that limited what I could wear, eat, drink, say, and much more. I was told exactly what to believe and what to do; I felt like I was watching my life instead of living it. Although I did not believe what I was taught, I was still forced to attend five hours of church every single week. It was like a prison, trapped by the expectations of my friends and the rules of my parents. Being on my own, I have been able to choose my faith because without those external pressures I can finally take control of my faith. I love being able to drink coffee and wear shorts. With this new-found freedom, I have been able to discover who I truly am, being able to live my life how I want has made everything so much more enjoyable. Worrying about what other people thought of me and meeting their expectations hindered my ability to live life to the fullest. Thankfully, I no longer worry about what other people think about me, and can make decisions based on what I feel is best for