On Being 23

When I was younger, I always thought by now I'd be set. I'd have a great apartment, a well paying job, maybe even married? In reality, I'm currently living at home, working an okay job, and marriage, well I'm not even looking at that right now. I think we all thought when we were younger your life plan should be set when you're in your 20s. You should know where your life is headed and what your next step is. But what I've learned this year is that it's okay to not know. It's okay to still be planning.

This year I spent a lot of time figuring out what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to end up. I had a career goal in mind, but I wasn't sure how to get there. I always thought at 23 I would be on the path there, but I won't be starting that until the fall.

You don't need to have your life planned out at 20. Or 25. Or 30. It's okay to take your time. That's what I've learned this past year. No one has their life together. Everyone's still working towards something. I think our generation is "growing up" a lot later than our parents did. My mom got married and had kids at 23. I don't even see that in my life until my 30s.

I spent two years after college figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, and I want to tell everyone that it's okay. Seeing people I went to high school with already there would usually frustrate me, but I realized there's no rush to figuring out what is going to make you happy. I'm not saying go travel around the world and ignore your responsibilities, but hey if you need to wait tables for a year before you figure out your career path, do it.

In the end, it's important to take time for yourself. Everything will work out in the end if you take the time to plan it out. Your happiness comes first.