Read This If You’re 23 And Completely Lost

Thought.is
Thought.is

First, congratulations on making it to 23 in one whole piece. Secondly, it’s ok to feel like you don’t know where your life is heading or going. It’s perfectly ok to feel lost.

Because, at twenty-three, you’re supposed to feel lost.

You’re not supposed to feel like you have everything figured out. You’re not supposed to be the CEO of a huge company or the next olympic champion. You’re not supposed to be at the peak of your career yet, or even the peak of your life.

It’s only been two years since you began to drink legally. It’s maybe only been a year or so since you graduated college and got your degree. You have only spent 23 years around the sun. That’s all.

I would rather be lost any day than to have a set schedule, a five year plan, or to be cooped up in a cubicle with nowhere to go and with no new places to see. I would rather be lost any day, than to be stuck in a career I hated. I would rather be lost any day, than to be stuck anywhere.

Being lost, is in fact, a privilege.

Being lost gives you endless opportunities to find what you are looking for. Being lost gives you endless sights to see and endless jobs to take. Being lost gives you the ultimate freedom to discover yourself.

So, welcome your new found state of mind. Welcome being lost, feeling uncomfortable and exploring the world. Welcome the uneasiness, the fear, and the doubts. No one ever gets anywhere by staying put. No one ever gets to where they want to be, before getting lost and turned around first.

I would rather be lost any day, than to ever be stuck. 

I would rather be lost any day, than to ever be bored.

I would rather be lost at 23, than to already have been found.

I have too many years ahead of me, to find where I’m supposed to be going. And I have too many years ahead of me, to figure out what I want to do.

So, maybe stay lost for a while longer. Embrace this feeling. Embrace what it feels like to walk an unsteady path towards what you truly desire. And one day, look back on this journey, and remember being 23 and confused. Remember being 23 and completely terrified.

And then remember how being lost, finally brought you, to where you wanted to be. And remember how being lost, finally brought you to yourself.  Thought Catalog Logo Mark

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