Am I the only one who feels like they're running out of time to figure out their life?
"It's the oldest story in the world. One day you're seventeen and planning for someday, and then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today, and that someday is yesterday and this is your life." - One Tree Hill
I mean, sure, 20 is young — it's barely even a start — but sometimes I feel as though in the bigger scheme of things, I should've been something by now, I should already have had my life figured out.
Sometimes I feel as thought I lack the basic sense of direction in life, that I somehow missed out on the strict schedule that was given out to everyone else.
I'm halfway through my college career and I'm still scrambling my way through just trying to decide what to do and where I want to end up.
People are always telling me that there is "plenty of time" and to "enjoy my youth while it's still there" but that's what I heard when I was 17, when I was 18, when I was 19.
I think a lot of the apprehension comes from our own expectations not being met. We all grow up giving a sure answer when asked, "where do you see yourself in 5 years? in 10 years?"
We all had plans of the people we were going to turn into.
We all had a set idea of what life is like and what life was going to be. And when those ideals and expectations weren't met, we tend to think we have somehow failed.
But that's just the thing.
The lesson we all need to learn is that life has no schedule or timetable. Life isn't a one-way path nor is it a straight, narrow road.
I have people I went to high school with getting married, having children, traveling. Everyone is at different stages because not everyone has the same goals, wants, and needs.
There are some who want to get married, who have been in healthy relationships for years, who want to have children and there are others who would rather spend the rest of their days going to new places, who enjoy being single.
People are still hurting and healing, people are still going through a constant cycle of learning and loving and making mistakes and being okay with those mistakes.
It's about living life the way you deem fit and just a matter of being content and realizing that as long as you're happy, then really, there's no guidelines or standards to live up to.
Not even our own.
If college has taught me one thing, it's that everyone else is trying to get their life together so maybe really, there's no point in worrying about it. There is no one ahead or no one behind because life doesn't have a timeline.
We all just have to keep reminding ourselves that where we are right now is exactly where we need to be and if we are unhappy with it, we have all the power in the world to change the direction we're going.
