If you're anything like me, you did not enter college knowing exactly what you wanted to do with your life. You don't have a set end goal. And you definitely didn't have a plan on how to get to that goal. Being in that position is a massive stressor. I let it really tear at me and mess with my head, my emotions, my self-esteem, and my motivation. It's really difficult to reassure yourself that you are doing the right things that you need to be in order to be who you want to be in life when you have no earthly idea who you actually want to be! It's easy to start feeling like a failure. And I've seen this same thought process be the downfall of many people their freshman year of college. So, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It's okay. It's okay to not know where you're going. It's okay to not have any clue what you want to do with your life and who you want to be. It's okay.
In fact, being in this position can easily work to your advantage. You may have heard the quote, "Not all those who wander are lost". I live my life by this quote. Sometimes, doing a little bit of wandering just allows you to broaden your knowledge base, open your eyes to areas of study and work that you had no clue even existed before you came to school. Not knowing what you want should be taken as a blessing rather than a curse. Because you aren't sure what you want to do for the rest of your life, you now have the opportunity to explore things you've never heard of. Being a freshman or sophomore in college is the best time you will ever have to do this sort of exploring. You may never get an opportunity like this time in your life. Right now, you have so many resources at your disposal, you have so many different people from different walks of life surrounding you, and you have the ability to seriously look into all these different areas without being as limited as you will be a few years down the road. You never want to say "wow, I really wish that I had explored more in that area" or, " I wish I could go back in time and take advantage of the opportunities I was surrounded by."
Take advantage of not having a set course for your life yet. Take advantage of being in this time of your life. You will never be able to get these few years back. These few years are a time to find yourself. And you can't find anything without exploring different areas and looking for it. Instead of looking at it as if you are a failure and as if you are falling behind, look at this as a blessing. This is an opportunity to grow within yourself, to add to the book of your life, and to try things you have never tried before. This is a time to take chances without all the risk that will be involved if you wait 10 years before doing so. Nothing is set in stone as a 17 to 23-year-old. You just gotta focus on not letting uncertainties upset you or act as roadblocks. Let them free you to explore the world as well as yourself. Stay positive because you still have a whole life ahead of you to make these decisions.
