Read This When Your Future Feels Uncertain

Emotions ebb and flow. We will never be 100% happy, and I don’t think that we are meant to be. If we were always happy and content with where we are at in life, we would never take any chances. We would never move forward or open doors to see what else is out there for us. We would simply wake up every day and do the things that we have always done because they have always made us happy. Repetition is comforting, but sometimes, I think familiarity can become a crutch. We can become so accustomed to a set schedule and a set way of living that we begin to rely on that consistency as the sole source of our happiness.

There is nothing wrong with loving your job or the city that you live in and wanting to stay in those places for as long as possible. However, what you should never do to yourself is allow those things you love so deeply to become a stopping point in your life. Just because you love your job doesn’t mean that your career goals have to end; just because the city you live in feels like home doesn’t mean you have to stop dreaming about a new destination. Nothing in life is ever promised to us, and when we become so attached to the idea that we just need to check off the boxes on a magical list to finally find happiness, we tend to forget that change can and will come.

No matter how hard you may try to protect yourself from the devastation that change can often bring, there is little any of us can do to truly avoid it. And honestly, why would we want to? Uncertainty is terrifying, but so is being stagnant. Though a life without change may sound tempting in life’s most stressful moments, I think the repetition would eventually become too much. Imagine waking up and doing the exact same thing every day, forever. Though you wouldn’t have to face the difficulties life often throws our way, you would become trapped in your routine. You would never learn new skills or meet new people; everything and everyone would always just be the same. You would never advance in your career or fulfill your dreams. You would never fail and learn to do better next time. You would have no funny stories to tell your friends and cringe-worthy moments to look back on. You would just have the picture-perfect day playing on repeat forever.

Even perfection becomes boring after a while. Failure can be so scary, but without it, we would never grow. We would never push ourselves to search for something more than what we have right now. When things go wrong and our paths are no longer clear, the uncertainty can feel debilitating. It can feel like our lives will never be right again and that we will always be destined for failure. What you have to remember in those moments is that the bad things in our life will come to an end just as the good things we have lost did. Life is a cycle of gains and losses, so please never feel like you will perpetually be trapped in your losses. There is no set schedule or timeline for when things will begin to get better, but the good things will come back to you. The right things will come to you when they are supposed to. Our paths are unfolding in front of us, even when we cannot see them behind all of the uncertainty.

I know it’s hard when everything around you is falling apart, but one day everything will be whole again. Life might not go back together the way it used to be or the way you had hoped it would, but sometimes the things we always thought were right for us couldn’t be more wrong. You will never know what else is out there if you don’t allow yourself to look for it. If you don’t allow yourself to step outside of your comfort zone and settle into your uncertainty, you will never know where else life could take you.

You may not be happy right now, and you may have no idea what you are doing with your life, but I think that you will end up exactly where you are supposed to be when you are meant to be there. And if you cannot believe in that for yourself, know that I will be here believing in it for you.