Since I was a kid I've always been asked the same question, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" For me, this answer has changed many times. I wanted to be a princess, a fashion designer and a professional singer. Now, that answer has changed now and again to more practical things. A lawyer, a fashion merchandiser, or an event planner. See, I always at least had an idea on what I wanted to do, but not everyone does, and you don't have to.
No matter what age you are, you can repave your path at any point in your life. Teenagers have all the time in the world to explore their options. There are elective classes and clubs they can join as well as volunteer opportunities that they can look into to find out what they like and what they don't. Granted, what they decide on when they're 14 probably won't be what they stick with by the time they apply for college, and often time what kids originally thought they were going to major in turns out not to be for them. And once again, that is more than okay.
There are some times when all it takes is taking some time to discover yourself, whether that be through travel or further education or a life changing experience to figure out what you want to do. Or it can just be a realization that what you're doing is not a good fit. Adults can change their mind too. Anyone at any age can go after their dreams. The best advice I've ever been given is to find something you love to do, because if you love it you will never work a day in your life.
All of us are constantly trying to answer that daunting question. "What do you want to do with your life?" The greatest advice I could ever offer though, is do not let your fear of the unknown paralyze you in your journey to finding the answer to that question. No matter what happens, there will always be an answer. Even if you don't know or feel incredibly lost at the idea of it, something one day with spark a desire in you to continue on that path. I've seen college kids switch their major six times, adults quit their high paying jobs, and kids panic at the thought. No one has a set path they have to follow, just remember that. Do what is going to make you happy and makes you feel like you never have to work a day.
You don't have to know what you want to do with your life because there will be dozens of opportunities for you to change your mind, or for you to advance to something even greater, or to just take a step back and reevaluate. Give yourself time to figure everything out and everything will work itself out.
“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”- John Lennon
