I get really frustrated when people think I should be perfect, have my life figured out and judge me for the mistakes I have made. First of all, no human being is perfect and no one ever will be. So why do people constantly act like everyone should have their shit together 24/7?

I am 19 years old, my whole life until this point has been whatever my parents, teachers or coaches have told me to do. I have only graduated high school and learned whatever the required information was for me to graduate. I have only had 19 years of life experience, so to those who are quick to judge and ridicule me, I am still learning. I LOVE to learn, I really do. I am so ecstatic about the fact I have so much learning ahead of me, and I hope that it provides me with wisdom and helps me live a great life. I am going to make mistakes, I know I have made some already, some worse than others. But to be honest, I really don't care! Mistakes build character and are part of the learning process. If I didn't stumble along the way I wouldn't be where I am now.

We are all still learning and anyone who claims otherwise is full of crap. Before this year I didn't know how to do my own laundry! But now I do, and I grew as a person because of it, even though it's a stupid simple thing. In my college classes my mind is being exposed to all sorts of information and I want to absorb every single bit of it. Something interesting I got out of my sociology class was that you cannot understand your own life until you understand the world around you. Go out there and ask questions and learn about the world. There is so much we have yet to learn. No one is ever going to have all the answers. I don't claim to even have any answers; hell, I don't even know what I'm doing in an hour. And I'm perfectly okay with it. I've stopped trying to figure it all out right now, because the lessons will come with age and experiences.

To all the people like me who feel like you have to have your shit together all the time, let it go. The best way to learn is to simply live, and the rest will follow. Each experience, whether it is good or bad, shapes us and teaches us something we needed to know. I don't believe in coincidences, no matter how big the mistake, I know it is leading me to the place I need to be. We have so many teachers in our lives, our actual teachers, friends, family, colleagues, and we can learn from them in various ways. However, the most important teacher in our lives is actually ourselves. No one can do it for you, you have to be able to learn from your past experiences and seek information. Ask questions, read books, self reflect, all of these things can teach you more about life and more about yourself.

But to the people who think that at 19 years old, or even ever, that I'm supposed to have it all figured out, you are so wrong. I'm happy with tripping and falling, slowly making my way into this crazy world. It's not pretty or graceful, but it's real. I'm never going to be perfect, I'm never going to have all the answers, and there are so many things I have yet to learn. Some things I never want to learn, such as anything math related. But my journey is genuine, and I live my life unapologetically. If I'm seen as "a mess," that's honestly fine, because I know I am not those things. There is beauty in the realness of struggle and finding yourself. Life is all about growth. If we knew everything there was to know and never messed up there would be no point to living.

I am still learning, and sometimes it is wonderful and other times it is messy, but I keep moving. I challenge everyone to get out there and develop a thirst for knowledge and to explore the world around you. Keep and open heart and an open mind, and the rest will fall into place. Don't be scared to admit you have no clue what you're doing, because honestly anyone who says otherwise is probably lying. Accept that you are still learning, and that is perfectly okay.