I vividly remember being told that I needed to have everything figured out by my late 20s. That idea made me feel confused and pressured, as if every decision had to be the right one. But what is the right choice?
I am 27, and I feel that my life could have taken many different directions. Still, somehow, it has led me exactly where I needed to be. I never imagined that I would be teaching in the United States, building a life here.
People often say that once you graduate, you need to find a job and have your life in order. My experience has been different.
After finishing my undergraduate degree, I decided to pursue two master’s degrees. Later, I found an opportunity to teach in Ireland and applied. I was selected, and one day, while working in a library in Dublin, I received an email suggesting I apply to a university in Las Vegas. That moment connected me to the United States.
If it had not been for the classmate who encouraged me to apply for the opportunity in Ireland, my path would have looked very different. I might not have come to the United States, and I would not be here writing this now.
Was this the “right” path? I am happy, so I believe it was. At the same time, I think I could have been happy doing something else. There is no way to know.
That is what makes this pressure so unrealistic. Life is not a straight line, and success is not defined by a single correct decision. Instead, it is shaped by the choices we make, the risks we take and the openness we have to new opportunities.
Maybe the goal is not to have everything figured out. Maybe we just need to keep moving forward and discover who we want to be.
Maybe we need to make mistakes in order to learn what will ultimately lead us to happiness. Maybe we need to go with the flow a little more and allow things to unfold naturally.
Either way, there are always factors influencing our lives that we simply cannot control.
My advice is to embrace every opportunity to the fullest and trust that each experience, whether planned or unexpected, is shaping you into the person you are meant to become.
