I Don’t Have My Shit Together And I Hope I Never Will

We’re persuaded today that there are the three critical ingredients to a destination of accomplishment, achievement, and fulfillment. They are, go to college, get a job, and have a family, and in that order of course. Allegedly, following that formula of those before us will keep us on a straight and narrow path to indisputable bliss.

But then, college tuition inflates astronomically while demand for jobs goes up and supply goes down, all alongside increasing infertility rates with time. So how is this formula supposed to work today?

Well if you ask me, even though you didn’t, I don’t think this formula worked for everyone at either time. It works for some temporarily and maybe even some long term, but it’s hard to even meet the prerequisites today if you’re dreaming of a white picket fence.

But for me, this is precisely why I don’t want to have my shit together. I went to college, got a great job, and I wasn’t happy. Sure, I could have adapted and learned to ignore the things I hated. Who knows, maybe I’d still even be there today. But I’m not, and I believe I’m better for it.

I may not have my shit together now, but I know what it was like to have my shit together then. I’ve worked corporate jobs that have pushed me towards creative and freelance jobs that have helped me discover a balance I didn’t know that I needed. I failed and I’ve succeeded doing things I’ve loved and doing things I’ve hated. I’ve traveled and lived in several places over the last few years, and I just want to keep exploring.

So maybe for just a moment, right now, I don’t have my shit together.

I fall out of line with the norm. But I’m better for it. I’m going to continue to find my place as a creative professional, and I’m going to have my shit together. And at times I’m not going to have my shit together. But the fluctuation in between keeps me sharp, flexible and growing. That’s precisely where I want to be.

Let your story play out according to your guidance, your instinct, and your voice. It’s going to be one for the books.