What To Do When Your Future Is Out Of Your Control

One of the most exciting things about life is not knowing what our future holds. For many students, this means the possibility of a new job, the beginning of a new relationship, or an unexpected vacation. However, the unknown can also be accompanied by a bundle of nerves and anxiety. On behalf of myself and high school seniors everywhere, I can tell you that the uncertainty of our future after graduation fills each of us with mixed emotions, both bad and good.

Many high school seniors apply to college, while others plan to get jobs or take some time off to figure out their next step in life. No matter what we plan to do after June, we sit through our last months of high school classes filled with uncertainty about what our futures look like. Most of us are still unsure of what college or university we will attend or even what state or country we will be living in come September. We wonder who we will stay close to from high school and who our new friends will be. Many of the integral

parts of what makes us who we are today will be tested and molded based on acceptance letters, waitlists, roommates, and life decisions that seem out of our control today.

Although it is only January, and graduation is still several months away, many of us have already begun to reflect on high school and re-evaluate who we are, what we want

to give to the world, and what we hope to gain. Everyone has a different vision for their future, but no one knows exactly how it will play out. Having experienced this mental

dilemma for the last few months, I have compiled a list of questions that I have begun to ask myself in preparation for the next phase of my life and hope that they might help you too.

Who am I?

This question has forced me to reflect on my past and present, to think about how I view myself. I ponder the things I like and the things that I would like to change about myself.

What have I accomplished?

I have begun to reflect on my accomplishments (no matter the size). What or who have I had a positive impact on? What fears have I overcome? Have I persevered through

adversities? I have learned that it is important to praise oneself for good and not just criticize the things we wish we could change.

What are the most important things in my life right now?

What drives me to succeed and what motivates me? Family, friends, lots of positive comments about a column, a pin during a wrestling match? Ask yourself what you value

most?

Who would I like to be in the near future?

How do I want other people to see me and how would I like to see myself in the next few years? I hope to attend college for the next four years and I wonder about who my friends will be, where my love of journalism and the news will take me, and whether I will be part of Greek life, intramural sports, and continue to climb mountains. You might want to be different from who you are today or stay exactly the same, there is no right or wrong.

Who would I like to be in the distant future?

Think long-term, who would you like to become? This is a long-term goal that will always remain a work-in-progress. Where would you like to live? What kind of family would you like to have? Keeping a distant goal in the back of my mind has always helped me to make decisions in the present.

Do I want to reinvent myself or further develop who I already am?

All of the questions listed above feed into this last one. Do you like who you are or would you like to become an altered version of yourself? This does not mean that you can change your personality or erase your past, but you can change the way you live your life. Moving to another place is the perfect time to reinvent yourself, but it is also a great time to further explore who you are.

While these questions may not give you a clear path to living your life, they are meant to help you reflect on the past and plan for the unknown future, instead of having it smack you in the face when June arrives. Try not to let the unknown scare you. One of my favorite quotes ever comes from Robin Williams and Ben Stiller in the movie “Night at the Museum”. It goes like this:

RW: “It’s time for your next adventure.”

BS: “I have no idea what I’m going to do tomorrow.”

RW: “How exciting!”