Before you make it out of 8th grade, you've gone through a variety of career testing, visited multiple college campuses, and started to prepare to take the SAT. It's like you aren't allowed to continue on to high school unless you have determined what you're going to be when you grow up. Nowadays everyone expects you to have your life planned out before you've even had a chance to really live.

Throughout the course of high school, the same thing happens. As graduation approaches, you will be asked over and over what college you're going to, what major you are choosing, and even what your plan is for 10 years down the road. Many adults are not satisfied until you explain your plans for the rest of your life, but I'm here to tell you that if the only answer to those questions you can provide is "I don't know," that is perfectly okay.

How can you be expected to know what you want to be doing with your life when you are 45? What if you change your mind about what career you want to pursue? Is that okay? The answer is yes. You are allowed to change your mind, your interests may very well change, and what you want to be when you "grow up" could change a handful of times.

As you live, you learn, and the more you learn about yourself and the world around you, the more you will realize how you want to spend your time. Let me encourage you not to rush through life in order to meet that special someone, land the perfect job, or start a family of your own. You have plenty of time for that and worrying about it won't make it come any sooner.

So, take a deep breath and enjoy today. Don't wait around for tomorrow or Friday, summer, or graduation, or him. Start living your life today and cherish every minute of it. Embrace each moment and don't rush it because everything happens for a reason; trust the timing. Slow down enough to appreciate the life you are living now, to enjoy this very moment and relish in the joy of today.