In sixth grade, my class took a special part in our school’s mass honoring different saints. This consisted of making a poster board about our chosen saint. The day we told our teacher which saint we wanted to be, I was completely unprepared and could think of only one- Saint Paula Montal. Saint Paula Montal held a special place in the hearts of the nuns at my school, and I learned about her all through my years of education. Since we were going in reverse alphabetical order, I was the first one, leaving me no time to brainstorm. Not wanting to tell my teacher I had no idea, I told her I wanted to be Saint Paula Montal. Unbeknown to me, she played an even more special role in the mass—I had to dress in full costume and give a speech at the beginning of mass in front of the entire school.

Due to my unpreparedness, I had to go through with doing something I would never have signed up to do had I known. Despite dreading the day, I made it through the mass, and actually felt a little proud of myself afterwards. Perhaps this single experience did not teach me a lesson in itself, but looking back and combining it with other experiences in which I have been challenged, I have come to learn something: sometimes it’s OK to be unprepared.

In my freshman year of college, I took a public speaking class. Not unsurprisingly to me, we had to give speeches in front of our class and teacher. This time, I was always prepared. I rehearsed beforehand. I printed outlines of my speeches, which we were allowed to have during our presentation. All went well. Until one of our last speeches, in which I printed the wrong outline and was basically working completely from memory. Before giving my speech I was more nervous than usual. But everything went OK. The outline would have helped, but I did not need it. No matter how hard we plan, we don’t know exactly what the future has in store for us. But whatever comes our way, we can make it through.

This is something I have been trying to remind myself of lately. Feeling unprepared is scary. Knowing what to do and knowing what’s next is reassuring. Having control over the future is comforting—there’s no need to worry. So, having no or very little idea of what’s going to happen down the road makes me feel at least very stressed. Being prepared and having a plan is good. But sometimes, being unprepared can challenge us in a way that helps us grow.

Being unprepared has forced me to face my fear of public speaking and believe in myself more when there were obstacles to be faced. Every once in a while, let go. You may be faced with challenges, but you can overcome them. Maybe you’ll even find a strength you didn’t know was there.