Currently there are over seven billion people living in this world.

I happen to be one of them.

Each of us has a different path, story, life, experience, and personality.

What I want to know is how do we know our path?

With millions upon millions of different job opportunities and careers in this world, I am dying to know, how do we know what the right one is?

I’ve been thing about this a lot the past few months. I imagine it’s probably because I am turning 24 this year. If I want to start looking at a change this should be the year to decide it. I’m young enough that I can still make new decisions and find new journeys, but getting old enough that a new career might mean more schooling which would require a few more years of my time.

So here is my question: Is happy enough? Where do we draw the line?

Each moment in our lives is a new chapter and each one provides a new lesson to learn and story to tell. I have done the careless chapter, the naïve chapter, the lost chapter, the growing chapter, the learning chapter, the happy chapter, the comfortable chapter.

Who decides these chapters anyways?

Currently I feel like I am in the “responsible” chapter. Working 40 hours a week at a job that I like—key word being “like.” Please do not confuse this with love.

Each day I go into work, ready for the day, not dreading it. I truly enjoy what I do and the people I work with, but do I really love it? Is this something I want to do forever? It seemed like one of many stepping stones to adulthood—get a job, make some money, pay off as much of my mortgage as possible, save more money on top of that. Be responsible.

But when do the responsibilities stop?

What’s scary is that they never really do. The more I think about my future, the more anxiety builds up within me and the more I feel like I can’t accomplish all of the goals I have swirling around in my brain.

Do I want to stay here?

Do I like the city I live in?

Should I travel the world?

Move to a new country?

Change career paths completely? 

Give up everything to chase some dream?

These are the types of questions that I feel my inner self asking every single day. And I don’t know the answers. I think that’s what is so troubling.

One day I said to my boyfriend, “Well maybe I should become an astronaut?”

Why an astronaut? Seriously, I don’t know. Maybe because society views that as an unrealistic dream job. I’ve never met one existing in real life. It seems like fiction. Like a movie. (By the way, I still haven’t seen Gravity so don’t spoil the ending!).

But this erratic thought made me want to look it up. It seems that not only Einstein-level geniuses can be astronauts but it’s actually a quite laid out process to become one. Sure you must be brilliant but the point of all of this is that I don’t actually want to become an astronaut; it was more of a metaphor.

I keep feeling like there is something big waiting for me out there. But what if I never find it? What if my destiny is that I’m supposed to write a book? Or open a homeless pet shelter? Or invent something new? Or open a pub in England? Or be a firefighter?

How do we know what our destiny is?

Through all of these questions I find myself turning to the universe, desperate for answers. I’m not entirely sure I’ll ever find the answer I’m looking for. This whole process is about letting go of my expectations and false perceptions of the world.

I think that each of us seven-billion-plus have more than just one thing. More than just what we might be known for: Doctor, Lawyer, Homemaker, Entrepreneur.

Why do we have to choose just one?

By figuring out each of the little ideas we have for ourselves, we can tackle them on a greater scale and accomplish so much more.

The year of 2014 seemed strange to me as soon as it hit. It felt as though this year was something special. Not just for myself, but for so many people around me. I can feel the shift.

Things are going down this year, amazing things.

It’s about honing the power to create them and making stuff happen. Instead of remaining stagnant where we always were or with what felt comfortable, this is the year to create possibilities, take risks, and alter perspectives.

Why not go for what you always deemed impossible?

Even after this enlightening discovery within myself, I still can’t say what it is I will do this year but I know it’s going to be worthwhile and a new chapter for the story of my life.

This is the time to be free and make the decisions you’ve been too afraid to make.

 

Love elephant and want to go steady?

Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!

 

Apprentice Editor: Kim Haas / Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: NASA Goddard Flight Space Center via Flickr