As I am steadily approaching the end of my junior year of college, I have noticed that most people around me (myself included) are, to say the least, stressed out.
Finals, graduation, papers, relationships, end-of-the-year activities, the future...oh my! It’s a lot to handle. The common theme that I’ve observed, though, is that many people are stressed out because they don’t know what they want to do with their life.
I find myself getting stressed out with this concept, too, just like most others. In fact, the idea and overwhelming thought of the future has been a source of huge anxiety in my personal life in the past few months. Instead of exciting and hopeful, I’ve somehow started to think about the future and shudder at the thought of not knowing what I want to do with my life.
Until I realized, recently, the simplest of conclusions: it’s OK not to know what I want to do with my life. It’s OK that I really don’t have it all figured out.
I think it is a common misconception that people are supposed to have this grand plan and vision of how they see their lives playing out. While dreams, hopes and plans are most certainly a necessary part of living, it is OK if those dreams change. It’s OK if those plans are sometimes crystal clear, sometimes incredibly foggy or somewhere in between.
No one truly has it all figured out, because let’s face it: no matter how much you plan, as you learn with time, life simply just doesn’t always work out the way you expect it to. And no one is the exception.
There are just too many things we can’t control, and there’s something truly freeing about this fact.
So while it is wonderful to have a vision of where you see yourself, I encourage you to be comfortable with the idea that things could change. I encourage you to plan and be OK if it doesn’t work out the way you think it will. I encourage you to plan and be excited when it does work out that way, too.
If you’re like me, however, and constantly feel as though you have nothing figured out, I am here to assure you that things will indeed fall into place. The trick is that while most people don’t have it all figured out, they still get up every day and embark.
No one really has it all figured it out. Yes, you have to plan and prepare for your future, but it’s OK if you just don’t know what to do right now. You will find your way, and this I promise you. Even if you don’t realize it while it’s happening, you will wake up one day and feel at peace.
And hey, if you’re not satisfied, you have the power to make a change!
It is truly an exciting thought to think about the future in store for all of us, no matter what age you are or where you are at in life.
There is so much beauty in the unknown. Enjoy the present moment and let yourself feel excited for all that is to come.
