"So, what are your plans after high school?" *crickets*
"What are your plans after college?" *more crickets*
"What are your plans for the rest of your life?" *sleep, eat, breathe*
I'll admit it, I'm a people pleaser. I like telling others what they expect to hear, "Yeah, I'd like to go to graduate school," or, "Yeah, I'd like to move to Boston or California and become a writer/editor," or, "Yeah, I'd love to get married and start a family."
To be honest, I haven't the slightest idea what I want to do with my life or what's realistic – and that's OKAY. Yes, I'm human, I have dreams I'd like to accomplish in this lifetime. They definitely aren't set in stone plans, but they are on my radar.
If people could ask, "What would you like to do after college?", then I'd be saying everything that pops into my mind. I'd like to go skydiving, or start a business. I'd want to go to Disney World (because I didn't have a childhood and would like to go someday). I'd want to travel the world and see things, meet people, experience cultures, and make an impact on someone's life. My list could go on, but that's because they're just things I'd like to do, and not a confident 100% plan.
Surprisingly, some people know what they want to do! And that's awesome. I wish I knew, but I don't. I'm not one to get my hopes up in case of failure, it protects myself from disappointment. I think many of us do put up a defensive wall to protect ourselves, but ultimately, we know what we want. Sometimes, we're just not ready to tell other people because then it becomes real.
Coming from a girl who has changed her major three times – from Pre-vet to Criminology to Strategic Communications – I definitely have no clue what the "plan" is. I'm not the greatest at school, and I'm trying to take on one semester at a time. Graduate school isn't out of the question, but it isn't in the front of my mind, either. I'd like it to be, but life works in ways that aren't always in our "set" plans.
Plans are safe. It's the thought of knowing. If you don't have one, it's the thought of the unknown, and it's considered abnormal by society.
It should be normal. It is normal.
