Change is never easy. For most, it feels like a slap in the face, an unwelcome disturbance to the comfort of routine. I was no different. For years, I resisted change, clinging to what felt safe when everything else was changing. But life has a way of forcing your hand, you know?
Now? I am a mosaic of constant shifts and carefully crafted routines. A published author who still catches her breath seeing her words in print. A content manager and columnist, who simultaneously loses herself in the dramatic twists of K-dramas and sings along to Thai pop songs with shameless enthusiasm through her headphones.
I’ll always be that girl who believes in fairytales, the one who built a cocoon of dreams and waited for magic to happen. But here’s what I learned: change doesn’t come to those who wait; it comes to those who step out. It happens when you let the world surprise you, when you meet strangers who become teachers, when you trade comfort for the messy adventure of becoming.
The girl who lived in her imagination didn’t disappear; she just grew brave enough to bring her dreams into reality and learned that growth lives on the other side of discomfort.
You will never reach your destination if you spend your life walking close to the wall, afraid to stumble. You must lose battles, fall hard, and gather the broken pieces until you find something worth standing for. A person. A dream. A new beginning.
The key is courage.
It’s never too late. Some bloom at 30. Some are at 60. Time doesn’t define your story; your willingness to begin does. You deserve to own your world, to rise from what once broke you.
These women did.
Jennifer, 25
“I watched my mother’s marriage crumble, and with it, my sense of stability. At 16, I told her to leave—because I couldn’t bear to see her suffer anymore. I was their only child, standing alone in the wreckage. But somewhere in the chaos, I realized: I couldn’t change their story, but I could write my own. So I did. Now, when change comes, I don’t fall apart. I adapt.”
Sandy, 30
“I used to pour everything into the wrong people, men who took, friends who faded, a life built on empty validation. I bought things I didn’t need, chased approval that never filled me. Then one day, I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself. So I walked away. Now? My energy goes where it matters: my family, the friends who stayed, the books that taught me more than any man ever could. The world feels bigger now. And I’m finally part of it.”
Lara, 32
“Love wasn’t kind to me. My wedding dress literally caught fire, maybe a sign I ignored. For years, I endured what no woman should. When I finally left, I swore I’d never trust again. But time has a way of softening even the hardest wounds. Now, I’m engaged to a man who holds me like I’m something precious. Funny how life works, you think it’s broken you, only to realize it was clearing space for something better.”
The Lesson?
Change doesn’t ask for permission. It arrives messy, painful, and inevitable. But here’s the truth: it’s not the enemy. The women above faced storms that could have drowned them. Instead, they learned to swim.
So if you’re standing at the edge of something new, terrified to jump, remember them. Remember yourself. You’ve survived every change so far.
This one won’t break you either. It’ll build you.
By Cosette Awad
https://www.instagram.com/cosetteawad.author
English 
العربية