You Don’t Have It All Figured Out And That’s Okay

There’s a quiet kind of pressure that creeps into our lives as teenagers — the expectation that we should know who we are and where we’re going. It shows up when someone asks, “What do you want to do after high school?” It’s easy to feel like everyone else has a plan while you’re stuck staring at a blank page.

But here’s something that often gets overlooked: not having everything figured out is normal. More than that — it’s healthy.

We live in a world that praises certainty. It rewards five-year plans and clearly defined goals. But the truth is, growth rarely looks that clean. Sometimes the most important steps in your life won’t feel like steps at all. They’ll feel like questions, doubts, failures, and/or pauses. You might love something one month and outgrow it the next. That doesn’t make you flaky. It makes you human.

So what do you do when you don’t have it all figured out? You follow your curiosity, not because it leads to a new resume line, but because it teaches you something about yourself. You try things without expecting them to be permanent. Maybe you join the art club, even if you don’t think you’re an “artist.” Maybe you shadow a nurse or write a poem or learn how to cook. Every experience adds a layer to your understanding — even the ones you abandon.

More importantly, give yourself permission to rest. You don’t need to be productive every moment to be worthy. Your value isn’t tied to a checklist of achievements. Some days, your biggest success might be just showing up. That counts too.

The truth is, even adults are still figuring it out. Your teacher. Your older sibling. That person who seems like they have it all together? They’ve probably changed directions more times than they’ve let on. No one’s path is a straight line—and yours doesn’t have to be either.

So if you’re feeling behind, confused, or just tired of pretending to have all the answers—know that you’re not alone. Being a teenager is about exploring, questioning, and discovering—not having everything settled. Let yourself be in the middle of the story. That’s where all the best parts happen anyway.

And someday, when someone younger than you feels lost, you’ll be able to say, “I didn’t have it all figured out either. And I turned out just fine.”