Brave isn't easy.

This weekend was the 3 month anniversary of my move to Washington, D.C. At the end of April, I was offered a fellowship position with Hill+Knowlton Strategies and had 5 weeks to finish the year, graduate, move to a completely new city and start work. It was quite the whirlwind. While I was excited about the opportunity I was given and the idea of going on a new adventure, I couldn't help but feel nervous, as well.

I moved into my new house the weekend before my job started. My roommates wouldn't arrive until August, so I was completely on my own. Honestly, it was terrifying. Everyone kept telling me how brave I was being, coming to a new city where I hardly knew anyone right after graduation. But I didn't feel brave; I felt lonely and afraid.

And that's okay.

It was a realization I had a couple weeks ago while eating my lunch on my building's roof - just because other people see you as brave, doesn't mean you're forced to feel that way, too. Because isn't that what being brave is? Feeling afraid but doing something anyway? It's okay that trying a new thing is different and hard, and it's also okay if you decide that maybe that new thing isn't for you. What's important is that you gave it a try.

Since that day that I drove away from the Old Well and all my favorite people, it's felt like there have been more goodbyes than hellos, more tough days than good, and more FaceTime calls than human interaction, but I know that that's not the case. Though I've said goodbye to roommates and friends, I've said hello to the start of a career and some very caring and kind coworkers. While I've had days when it feels like there isn't enough coffee and Twizzlers in the world to make it through, there have been just as many when I've contributed to a big project at work or successfully mastered a headstand in yoga, small but important victories. And even though it seems as if all my favorite people are trapped inside a screen of poor connections and "sorry it froze, say that again," I've managed to make new friends (and host some special visitors) while making memories in a very cool city.

Being brave isn't easy, and it's not going to be rainbows and sunshine all the time. But I've found that what's most important is putting your best foot forward and actively making each day better than the last. And then, before you know it, maybe it's not so bad after all.