BackAs a young person, it’s likely that you have felt, or still feel, that the long-term future is a bit of a myth. An unrelated, intangible, unimaginable time years from now where you will be so far from the person you are today that there’s no point in even attempting to envisage it. We’re constantly growing – and often don’t realise quite how much until a Facebook throwback reminds us of what we were doing many moons ago.
During the formative years, between 14 and 21 perhaps, we change so dramatically, suddenly and inconsistently that it’s almost impossible to imagine a time when we won’t. How could you even begin to decide what you want in five years when you don’t even know what you’ll want in five weeks? Your entire conscience regenerates repeatedly during adolescence and until it settles, the task of making big decisions about your future careers and commitments is a very tall order. However, the older you get, the less drastic your growth is, as it plateaus. You establish what interests and is important to you, what you want to change in the world, how you want to come across and the people you choose to associate yourself with, to name a few.
Here are some ways to deal with uncertainty and confusion. There can be a lot of pressure from family, other’s successes and societal expectations, but the focus of your life should be you. Otherwise you’ll be putting your future self in a painful situation of either sucking it up, or sorting it out and having a life renovation when you’re middle aged.
By Rahel Girma