Editorials

Not Knowing is OK

14 August 2019

By Lauren E. White

not-knowing-is-OK

It is expected of us all as soon as we turn the ripe age of 18-years-old that we know exactly what we’re going to do with our lives and where we’re going. As everyone who has ever been 18 knows, it’s not this straightforward. And, actually, not knowing is OK.

not-knowing-is-OK-uncertainty

I’ve always been one of those people who knew what I wanted to do with my life. I have always had a clear path and direction, and have rigidly stuck to it for about nine years. But, once you get released into the real world after school ends, you have a lot more time to think. And suddenly, I became someone who didn’t really know what I wanted to do anymore.

At first, major panic ensues. Because all the adults around you expect you to know what you want to do – and suddenly you just don’t. Is everything I’ve worked for this far what I really want? I don’t know. Am I going to miss out on opportunities because I don’t know what I want? I don’t even know that. What am I even doing anymore? I don’t know.

not-knowing-is-OK-path

But, you’ll be pleased to know that just sitting with uncertainty for a little bit helps you a lot. Just accept the fact that you don’t know, and that not knowing is OK. You’re on some kind of path right now, and you’ve set it up for the foreseeable. Even if it’s not a plan you enjoy, it’s still a plan, and you can work on creating another plan to change the path.

The best things in life really do take time, so not knowing is OK. It probably means you’re about to stumble upon something great.

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