“New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.” -- Lao Tzu

As I was sitting at my sister’s high-school graduation looking at all of the graduates, it brought back all of the excitement and nerves from when I graduated. But what also came back was the memory of how scared I was for the future. And then I came to the realization that when everything feels like it’s ending, it can really be a new beginning.

When major events happen in your life that signify an end or major change such as a graduation, a breakup, a job change or a move, it can leave you feeling scared and lost. You have been in the situation for some time and you’ve become accustomed to it and feel safe and secure in it. It’s all you’ve known for a while and you’re used to the people or the places and the situation is a source of memories and comfort. And then when you realize it’s coming to a close, you become scared because you don’t have that safe cocoon anymore. You have been on this road for a while and then you realize you have to take a different path and all you see ahead of you is the unknown and it’s terrifying. But “it’s OK to be scared. Being scared means you’re about to do something really, really brave.”

You feel conflicted because you feel excited for new possibilities for the future, but then the fear sets in of the unknown. I think that’s why people are so scared of the future -- because of the unknown. You like to have control in your life and have a hand in crafting your future. And to some extent you have control such as being able to pick the college you want to go to, but at the same time with one portion you have control over comes several other portions that are unknown and out of your control. That’s a terrifying concept because you want to be able to have some certainty and stability in the future.

When you feel like you’re being thrown out of one stable cocoon and see this blank future that has few certainties and many more uncertainties, it can be completely overwhelming and frightening. You can feel lost and stuck in this limbo of fear. But when you feel like your world is crashing down and all you can see are endings, there can be beautiful beginnings right around the corner.

Instead of becoming consumed by the fear and overwhelming feeling that everything is over, redirect your thinking to see more hope for the unknowing future ahead of you. There are endless possibilities and a beautiful component of an unknown future is the potential and excitement of seeing what can happen. “Trust in the unseen path” and believe that “everything happens for a reason” because it is directing you to where you need to be. If you are meant to be in that job or with that person or living in that place, it will happen when it’s supposed to happen. However, don’t sit back and let life go by because you’re trusting in what could happen. What I’m saying is, take advantage of the opportunities that arise, but don’t sulk in the past or become upset over wanting too much control for the things you can’t control or letting go of control completely and not actively doing something about your future.

Endings can be a painful, sad, and scary thing and can make one fearful and anxious of the future, but what you normally don’t realize is that each ending comes with a new beginning. As the band Florence and The Machine sings, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” New beginnings can inspire growth and lead you to where you’re meant to be.

“Don’t be afraid of change, it is leading you to a new beginning.”