Our entire lives thus far have been spent fantasizing about our college days and being a “grown up." We have finally reached those days and we feel like this is it, we are finally adults, we are officially old. We are all thinking “graduation is near and I have no idea what I want to do with my life, I am screwed, send help.” But in the big picture, we are babies again. Instead of learning how to walk, we are learning how to adult.
If you are among those that are currently freaking out and trying to get your life together before graduation, stop. We are only in our 20s; we are not supposed to have it figured out. Most of us are still trying to figure out who we are. Right now is the one time in your life that you have complete control. YOU decide where you want to go from here.
Our 20s are the time to experiment. This time should be used to really find ourselves and what we truly love. We are allowed to make mistakes and we are allowed to try new things. It is much better to have regrets that have made us stronger than to have “what ifs” that will make us weak.
Some people have plans to move back home until they can save enough to move out. That is perfectly fine, and if that is the decision that is most appropriate for you, then go for it. Some of us will do anything to get out of their hometown, and now is the perfect time to do it. If you wait until you have a job and a family and responsibilities, you will have an extremely difficult time moving anywhere; go now! What is the worst that could happen? If you give it a year and decide you hate it, you can come right back. If you wait too long, you may not have it that easy next time around.
And let me guess, you have no idea what you want to do for a living. News flash: NO ONE DOES. If you ask any adult if they intended to land where they are right now, 90 percent of them will tell you that when they began the search for a career, they never thought in a million years they would end up in their current position. It is okay to have 10 jobs before you find your destined career. It is also okay to find your destined career with your very first job! Every person is different and every person is going to have a different experience.
You may feel threatened by those few people who seem to have their lives all planned out, as they know exactly what they want to do for a living, where they want to live, and maybe even the person they want to marry. Although some of those people will succeed, most of them are the people that are going to be most disappointed in life. It is okay to have goals, goals give you motivation; but do not limit yourself to one plan. Things are going to happen that you cannot control, but that is life, and whatever is meant to happen is going to happen.
I know this is a stressful time in our lives but I am here to tell you not to panic. Take life as it comes and learn to roll with the punches. Do what makes you happy, because in the end, that is what is most important. I promise you, everything will be okay. One day you are going to have it all figured out and you are going to look back on these days and laugh at yourself for being so worried. So go enjoy the rest of your 20s and deal with life as it comes!