It seems as if everyone has their life figured out except for me. Everyone seems so sure of themselves, and I'm here contemplating every move I make. It's pretty unsettling knowing that most people already have it all figured out; they have their five-, 10- and even 50-year plans, and I have nothing at all.
Ever since I was little, I thought I had it all figured out, no matter what I wanted to be for the day (it ranged from doctor to president to princess to any other ridiculous "career" you could imagine), I had a plan. Even coming to college, I thought had it all figured out, I thought I knew exactly what my future would entail, but I was so sadly mistaken.
At every family get-together and pretty much any other social event, I would be asked what my major was and what I wanted to do with my life, and every time I had to say the unsettling truth that I didn't have a clue, reality sunk in a little bit more. They tell you it's normal to not know what you want to do with your life, to not have a major or to change your major 10 times, but when you're constantly being bombarded about it, and everyone else seems to have it figured out, it doesn't feel so normal. I started feeling like I was the only person who didn't have a clue.
What I have come to realize is that NOW is the time to be unsure. Now is the time to think about these things, so I don't rush into a decision based solely on the idea that everyone else already has. I don't want to major in something so I can say I have a major and a future or anything else that comes with sounding all put-together by having one. I want so much more. I want a career that I will be passionate about for the rest of my life, whether that means being the next Jane Goodall or the next greatest orthopedic surgeon, I want more.
So, to everyone who has ever told me to "Get my life together," thank you for the kind opinion, but I refuse to make the choice of what my life will entail until I am absolutely sure about it. Not having a major doesn't mean I don't have goals and dreams, it doesn't mean I don't want a career, success and a future. It just means I don't know what path to go down, and I think for now that's okay.
Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. — Steve Jobs
