Like many of you, I have plans and dreams. Plans that are significant, such as adopting children and going to graduate school, and plans that are insignificant, such as what to eat for dinner, are equally as important. I could go on and on about everything I want to accomplish in my lifetime, but I can’t guarantee it is going to happen. That used to scare me so much, not knowing a definite answer about the future. I wanted to know what I was gonna end up doing with my career and how everything else in my life was going to work itself out. What is my future job going to be? Am I going to get into graduate school?

I was constantly worrying about how everything is going to work out later on, that I was missing out on the things that were happening around me.

It has taken me quite some time to realize that I cannot control everything. Believe me, I wish I could, but it is not how happy people live their lives. Being in control of everything is impossible, and trying is utterly exhausting. You can make plans and then something happens, so the plans change. Plans are always going to fall through or new things are going to come up that are unexpected. That’s okay.

I also came to the realization that I can plan for things to happen, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s when they are going to happen. You shouldn’t be able to plan out your life down to every last date and occasion. You shouldn’t know who you are going to marry before you meet them. That would be so weird. Also, I would just worry still about “am I really supposed to end up with them?”

The final thing I have learned is that life is full of unknowns and that I can’t waste time worrying about them. Although the unknown is scary, that’s how it should be. Life is full of surprises, irregularities, and stuff you would never consider imaginable. That is also what makes life so beautiful. You can have a billion plans for everything you want to do until the day you die, and then it could all change.

I have learned that life truly has a weird way of working itself out. All you can do is put all your time and effort into the things you are most passionate about. Good things will follow people that work hard and are passionate about what they do. Doors will open and opportunities will arise that you would never think could happen.

So be ready. Be ready for the change and for the adventure that life has to offer. Be open to things that may set you out of your comfort zone. You have your whole life ahead of you, to mess up, then figure things out. Then, you will mess up again. That’s okay. Life will go on and you can keep making plans, but life will probably hand you something more fulfilling and incredible than anything you could’ve planned.