At every family function, every holiday and every reunion with my high school friends, I always get asked the same dreaded question without fail: “So, what are your plans for the future?” My usual response is to mumble my way through an awkward answer and quickly change the subject, but now I’m setting the record straight and saying it once and for all: I have absolutely no clue where my life is going and that’s just how I like it. Here’s why:
- The fun is in the journey. Too many times, I’ve seen my friends get so lost in the drama of trying to plan their futures that they forget to enjoy the journey. When you really think about it, the journey is the best part. What fun would it be if we all had our entire lives laid out in front of us? It would be boring AF.
- I love surprises. Surprises are my jam. I love getting surprised, and I love doing the surprising. I’ve been known to spend months planning a surprise party or trip for a friend. I think it’s so fun to have something delightful happen to you when you least expect it. Because I can’t have people jumping out at me from behind trees every day, I let life do the surprising. Three months from now, I might be living on another continent — who knows?
- I’m too restless anyway. I’ve always had a restless soul. It’s what led me to pack up and move to college, and then later to Europe and Australia. The idea of settling down into one place and one job for the rest of my life makes me sweat. I don’t want to be pinned down, and why should I have to be? As long as I can take care of myself, why do I need set plans 24/7?
- When everything is possible, anything can happen. Sure, I could take a corporate job and plan to work there for the next 40 years or so, but where’s the fun in that? It would be safe, yes, but it wouldn’t be fun. When you let the universe take the wheel, everything is possible, which means that anything (and I mean anything) can happen. I’d trade comfort and safety for adventure any day.
- I make uncertainty my bitch. I’ve always said that uncertainty is my freedom. While most people cower at it, I stand up to it. Uncertainty allows for the unexpected. Even if it’s as little as running into a friend you haven’t seen in ages or happening upon a little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, it’s what makes life worthwhile.
- I know I’ll get there… someday. Look, I’m not just bumming around waiting for something great to find me. I’m working my butt off just like everyone else — I’m just doing it a little differently. If you ask me, there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s no sense rushing towards some massive thing in the future when I don’t even know what I want that thing to be. I’m good just as I am.
- In the meantime, I’m enjoying the view. While I’m working towards my goals, I remember to enjoy where I am at. If we’re always looking ahead, we’ll never enjoy the present. There will always be something else you want to achieve, and that’s totally okay as long as you still have fun along the way.
- Life is too short to be bored. Life is short and we all know it, so do you really want to spend it waiting for the weekend and dreading Mondays? I want each and every day to be exciting for me. I want to wake up in love with my life. This is my way to do that.
- I do it for the memories. One day, we’ll all be old and gray. I can 100% guarantee that you won’t be thinking about those late nights at the office. You’ll be thinking about your family, your friends, and the adventures you had. All I know for sure is that I don’t want to grow old and be full of regret.
- I don’t want to stop living before I die. I don’t want to spend my entire life knowing what’s in front of me. That’s just a recipe for a disaster. My biggest fear is feeling like I’ve stopped living before I even die. So instead I choose to live each day to the fullest. If that means not knowing where my life is going, I’m okay with that.
