Having life and things that surround it figured out is one of the biggest pressures people face in our world today, as we all can remember right from when we were children. We often come across a popular question that enquires from us what we'll like to become when we grow up, what we'll like to study, the career of our choice and several others, to name but a few. All of these questions can be problematic for individuals, especially because we're yet to grasp the entirety of life, not to talk of understanding it to the point of making a choice, because obviously most of the choices we make then are as a result of what we see and experience while we are young. But then is it ideal to have people expect that we should have our entire life figured out when we are young?
The truth is that we all know, including the adults asking us these questions, that life isn't stable and has the potential to tweak things as it deems fit, thereby rendering our plans redundant or infeasible. And that's why we all agree with the fact that F doesn't always follow the places we make, due to its unstable nature and how different things can happen that go out rightly against what we've planned for our lives, careers and the like. Aside from that, we can also recognise the fact that we actually don't really know what we want when we are young. You can be so sure of something while growing up, only to attain a certain age and discover your interests have changed due to life experiences. You can even still grow up again and still realise that a career you've been so enthusiastic about now no longer gives you fulfilment.
The reality of life is that not everything will go as planned or perceived. Take for instance, many of us expect individuals who already have a clear glimpse of how they want their lives to turn out to grow up and be successful in such; however, fate may have other plans, and such can end up having to start all over again in something new, while on the other hand, someone who seems to be undecided about their life's ambition can grow up and surprisingly build something remarkable. The truth is that such is okay and isn't bad; it's just the reality of life, and it's worth knowing that I'm not against encouraging our children to find their path of interest early in life, just in the opinion that we shouldn't engross them too much in such to the point where they won't have time to experience life for what it truly is and be able to explore other things to know if such a part is truly for them.
This is quite visible in some individuals who you'll see are doing great in a particular career, and when you give them an opportunity to try something else, even if it's just for fun, you'll be surprised to see they actually do that other thing exceedingly well and effortlessly for that matter, and you'll begin to wonder what would have been had they explored their potential in the other field. So, basically my take is that all of these pressures aren't necessary; let people figure out their lives as they grow. If you're a parent or an adult and realise your child or ward is interested in a particular thing, encourage them in such, but don't get to the point where you won't want them to do other things that would have really another aspect of life and interest they've not explored.
I'm familiar with the popular phrase 'time flies', and it doesn't wait for anyone, which means we should make a hail while the sun shines. However, I recognise the positivity in these encouraging words and the impact they have and would still make, but I must say we shouldn't allow fear of time wasting to rush us into making hasty decisions just because that's what the society expects from us. Taking an easier path doesn't mean you're a failure; the same is the case when you start all over again. Starting all over again isn't a sign of weakness; in fact, it's a sign of strength and resilience. Most of all, when we don't know what we should do, it doesn't mean we won't amount to anything good; in reality, it's a part of life, which is the phrase 'discovering where we belong and our interests'.
Overall, not having answers to every question about your life today doesn't mean you've failed or that you're bound to fail; instead, it's the awareness that you're in the discovery stage and that you're bound to keep growing, learning and going forward while trusting the process until the picture gets clearer.
All photos are generated using ChatGpt.
