No one knows what they're doing

Today I am going to share what I have observed and found interesting while I grew up. Growing up, life seemed linear. School goes by every year, you advance eventually decide to go to college or not. This is when you have some option to choose, but it is not always the case. I would like to step back and think a bit more, with this linear progression in life, we were always told what to do by people older, or more experienced than us. These were out parents, teachers, other adults.

What was the defining factor that gave them more power over us and tell us what was best for us? What was the age that we hit that we would finally get everything together? Hmmm. In the real world, you make your own path. With so much option, unknown and ambiguity no wonder we feel a little lost. I say we are a generation that lacks a little direction and would like some guidance, that is why we would like to reach out for help.

I’ll share some of my experiences of going to school, collaborating with classmates, interning, working and being with people from a varied amount of life experiences. My conclusion: A vast majority of everyone doesn’t know what they’re doing! Wow, holy crap! The lack of direction translate to lack of commitment which in turn translates to anxiety. Even when things are going good, we have the lingering thought of: “Is what I’m doing…. right?”

Let’s think about it with an example: Say you are in a group project, none of you actually know what you’re doing. Y’all are clueless, but the instant one person says: “I know what I’m doing” boom they’re the leader. You see this, this guy might not know what they’re doing, but this confidence is key. You know what they say: Fake it ’till you make it. Presenting yourself in a position like you know what you’re doing makes other think you actually know what you’re doing.

Believe me, when I pondered on this after some work experiences and life experiences, I was astounded. I always assumed life was linear, and you follow a guideline to get to your goal. I realized when I graduated that isn’t how it works. We’re all on different timelines, making our way to our goals in different ways.