People equate direction to success, to happiness, to bliss. Some people like to think that knowing the exact layout of your life is a way to determine exactly how your future is going to go. When I first started out with this whole college thing, I was surrounded by people with plans and ambition and a detailed itinerary of how the next sixty-something years were going to go for them. I remember introducing myself to my peers, and I immediately was taken back by this huge amount of pride in their life plans.

"Hi, my name is Sarah*, and I'm studying health and medicine to become an obstetrician for high-risk pregnancies."

"Hello, I'm Ashley*, I come from a family of engineers and I'm studying biomedical engineering."

"Hey, my name is Chad* and I'm studying dentistry and eventually plan on doing oral surgery and possibly craniofacial surgery."

Well, hi, I'm Jayde, and I'm still trying to figure out this crazy thing called life.

I've given my parents hypertension, restless nights, and a whole lot of frustration because I'm a little lost. All I know is that I want to help people, and I want to change the world. And I think that my desire to impact others is what's driving me to pursue higher education. Having a desire is the start to accomplishing something so much bigger and greater than we've ever known.

There's nothing wrong with having a plan. There's nothing wrong with knowing what you're doing. I wish I could know where my life was going to take me, and that I had some kind of concrete foundation. But unfortunately, I'm so indecisive that I've changed my major 4 times already. I'm stuck in this limbo of trying to decide exactly what "success" looks like for me. For certain, I am sure of my desire to be happy in whatever I'm doing. I would like to be in a serious relationship with the love of my life. I want to change lives every day. I want to make waves and impact the world around me in a positive way.

And maybe you're in the same boat. Maybe you, too, are trying to decide what your life is going to look like. Have no fear, not having a plan doesn't mean that you're not going to be successful, or that you're going to fail at everything you try. You're not a lost cause. Your plan could change. It could take a complete 180 and go in the completely opposite direction. That's okay. This is all okay.

I believe one of the most beautiful things about life is figuring out where you're going. It's this huge journey that we embark on when we truly discover ourselves and we get to experience so many things. We meet our bridesmaids, our soul sisters, our significant others, our biggest heartbreaks. We experience love, lust, heartbreak, accomplishment, disappointment. We have a whole lot of life to live.

This stage of our lives is weird. But having a plan doesn't determine your success. It's great to have one. But it's not necessary. You're going to be happy with whatever you decide to do.

*Names have been changed.