We live in a world where everyone is in a hurry to figure out their lives. Everyone is in a rush to learn what they are going to do and who they are going to be. After graduating college many Millennials discover that what they thought they wanted to do throughout the past four years of their education is not what actually makes them happy. In some cases they may come to find it makes them absolutely miserable.
We realize that the courses we enjoyed studying in the "college world" do not necessarily translate to a career that we are going to be satisfied with or passionate about. We quickly find ourselves in a panic because we have been told time and time again the importance of figuring out what we want to be by the time we graduate and how it will affect our success, happiness and future. Let me clue you in on a secret that I have discovered the hard way, there is no rush in discovering your passion. In fact it is the longer, more difficult and less clear path that may be what guides you to your destiny.
The road to success is a long and winding one. However more often than not the hardest part is not the journey itself but deciding what path to embark on in the first place. In a world filled with endless possibilities it can be hard to decide where to start. We find ourselves stuck in a rut before we ever put the car in drive.
In the end many of us take the path most clearly developed and defined; a course that has been mapped out by previous generations. A course that we have seen leads to success from others who have traveled it before us. It is comforting to take a route where we can see the beginning, middle and end of the journey; where we can have a plan from start to finish. This might seem desirable at first glance but along the way many of us find ourselves dissatisfied, our thirst unquenched and an insatiable feeling that we have a lot of untapped potential bubbling deep inside us.
This is because there is another road. However these paths are not yet mapped out; they are uncharted territories. It is a terrifying option to devote precious time and energy to a course that does not guarantee a chance for success. However, people who choose to settle may find themselves unfulfilled even though they may be raking in a hefty paycheck. We owe it to ourselves to chase our ambitions. We owe it to our wild and crazy dreams to at least try.
These are the paths we must create on our own. We must embark down these roads with nothing but a gut feeling and a ton of faith. Not knowing where your future is heading is petrifying to say the least. However it is these rustic roads that in the end can be the most rewarding. They may be arduous but they offer us something those mapped out routes cannot. They offer us opportunities we did not even know existed because we have not yet thought of them in our wildest imaginations.
Once you cut back those dense vines and branches you will find yourself clearing a path that contains a whole new set of doors and what lies behind them is limitless. So if you find your self in a job where you are not happy and cannot see a future for yourself, do not convince yourself that you are stuck where you are.
Many of us worry that once we make a decision we start an unstoppable domino effect that sets a course of events that will define the rest of our lives. This is not the case. There is always the option to change directions. As we grow our dreams morph and change. For example, I always thought that health care was the best fit for me because I enjoy helping people. However after my own personal experiences I have realized that there is more than one way to help others and that through writing, my words can still reach so many people. I learned that there is more than one way to reach the same destination, the same goal. This is something that five years ago, when I was starting college, I did not think was a possibility.
We all choose different routes to navigate through life and none of them are wrong but not every one is right for you. This is why you cannot settle. You must not miss out on all the success and happiness that fulfilling your passions can give you. When pursuing your dreams the only thing you can do wrong is never dare to step past the starting line. All you need is a little faith that fate will guide you in the right direction. If you do, the rewards can be truly remarkable.