Making a plan for your life is never easy, and that’s putting it lightly. It’s hard, and it’s downright scary. Just yesterday it feels like you were in high school and you had so much time to figure out what you wanted to do with your life, who you wanted to be and where you wanted to go. How did we go from being so carefree to so panicked about the future?

Now you’re actually living your life, trying to make a plan for yourself and trying to map our how you want your future to be. It is one of the most confusing and stressful times of your life. When you graduate high school you think you have this solid plan and that nothing will change. You think you have your whole life figured out.

When I graduated, I had this great plan. Major in Marine Biology, move to a coastal town, get married a couple years out of college, and have kids before I turn 27. I can’t believe how much has changed. I’ve changed my major/career path about four times in less than two years, and I’m on the verge of changing it again. I don’t know where I want to move, I don’t know when I’m going to get married or have kids. I don’t know what my future looks like anymore.

But one of the most important things I’ve learned in this time is this: don’t be afraid to change your plan. The plan you made in high school is most likely not going to be the plan you have for yourself now, and the plan you have for yourself now is likely not going to be your plan in the future. And that’s okay.

It’s okay to change your plan. It’s okay to not 100% have your life set in stone. It’s okay to decide you aren’t happy and make that change. It’s okay.

I can’t imagine living the life I had planned for myself in high school. Changing my major for the first time terrified me, I was so sure I knew what I wanted to do. Was I really sure this wasn’t what I wanted anymore? Was I really sure I wanted to throw out this whole plan I had for myself and start from scratch?

To everyone who is going through the same thing - and I know there are a lot of you that are - take the leap. Do what makes you happy. Because 20 years from now when you look back on this time in your life, the last thing you want to wonder is “what if.” What if you made that change? What if you changed your major from what’s safe to what you’re passionate about? What if you transferred to the college of your dreams instead of staying put where you are? What if you took that leap?

Don’t just stay in your current career path or your current college or your current job just because it’s safe or because you’re afraid of change. Do what makes you happy. You only have one shot at this life, and there’s no use wasting it because you’re afraid to make that change.

Make the change, take the leap. Do what makes you happy, no matter what anyone else says. This is your life, don’t waste it by playing it safe.