Hey, you. If you're reading this, based on the title of this article, I'm guessing that you, like me, feel like you've hit a bit of a wall in life. Whether you're uncertain of your career goals, struggling with your relationships, trying to hold it together through family drama, or just generally feel displaced, chances are that you, like me, feel a little adrift right now, unsure of what exactly the future is going to hold. I'm not here to tell you that I have all the answers, because if I did my own life would be a whole lot easier. What I am here to tell you is that you're not going through this alone.

Life in your late teens and early twenties can seem complicated. The internet is full of cliche memes about the fact that we're expected to be subordinates until we're 18 and then expected to think like fully matured adults. While I think that some of those are a little overdramatic, the sentiments aren't too far off-base. We coast through life in structured security, and then all at once, it feels like everything hits you. "When it rains, it pours," has been my tongue-in-cheek mantra to myself as stumbling block after stumbling block have tried to trip me up. Sometimes, I feel a little bit like I'm lost in the wrong direction, and no matter how I spin or shift gears, I can't find the right path. But you know what? I've started to cut myself some slack and realize that it's okay.

Your early twenties will have a major impact on your life. Whether you're jetting off to college or entering the workforce for the first time, the decisions you make will affect you. Falling in love with the wrong person can change the way your heart feels. Choosing the wrong career field at first can have you second-guessing your goals about everything. It's really easy to get discouraged when you don't quite know where you fit or with whom or in what kind of environment. Do I follow the practical side of me, or do I hold on to the creative side? Do I date casually or look for a long-term commitment? If I tell those closest to me when they've hurt me, will they leave to? We're so afraid of making the wrong decisions that we forget that making mistakes is just another part of being human and growing.

We don't have to have it all figured out right now. We're young. In spite of it all, you and I are fairly resilient. Every hardship and heartbreak that we've felt leading up to this point has prepared us to feel a little lost right now. We survived then; we can survive now. Sometimes, it's okay not to have all of the answers. It's perfectly fine to just let yourself float for a while, without panicking because your feet aren't firmly anchored to a particular path. Sometimes, we just need time to figure out how to stand on our own two feet and live to figure out who we are and where we're meant to be. These lost patches are just a part of our growth. It can be really scary not to have a clue when it seems like everyone around you has a perfectly laid-out plan. Sometimes, it feels like traveling without a GPS or a road map, but what an adventure it will be. Great things take time, and we shouldn't be caught up comparing our journey to that of the person next to us. As the quote goes, "a flower doesn't compare itself to the blossom next to it; it just blooms." May we all be so lucky. You'll get through this, and so will I. We're in this together.