You are not lost.

You are not lost, you are learning. You are not lost, you just don’t yet know where you are going next.

Close your eyes and feel your body. How can you be lost when you are here, in your home?

You are not wrong, you are not damaged, you are not broken because you still get stuck in dark corners. 

Out there, the world may seem scary, but there is only discovery, exploration, playgrounds of possibility.

Try not to resist the pain of uncertainty and doubt. There is power in looking that feeling in the eye and trying to understand it. 

The fear of an unknown future is simply a friend inviting you to play in new fields. Look closely. Lean in with curiosity, asking questions and listening carefully to the answers.

What does this feeling want to show you? Where does your mind wander when you allow it to crawl?

Listen carefully to the things that make you feel most alive; to the moments that feel fleeting and full of joy. Listen to when you laugh and do more of it. Listen to what frustrates you, and do less of it. Ignore the “shoulds” of others and focus on what you’d like to do, see, feel, and learn next.

What if finding your purpose isn’t one single, final destination, but a constant journey, one that alters each day giving you a chance to rediscover your purpose in new ways and new places every single day?

You are not lost. You have just begun to realize the place you are now no longer serves you. You are changing as you grow, my friend, and you are outgrown the shell that is your home.

Sometimes that hurts — growing pains. And that is when you listen harder.

Listen to what makes you tick. What do you dream about? What do you long for? When do you feel most confident, and strongest in your abilities? What tasks can you do over and over and lose track of time? What are the wishes that seem impossible, but that thrill and excite you at the mere idea of possibility? 

Don’t worry about getting the answers correct; there is no right or wrong. There is only where you are right now, and where you think you’d like to be. There is only learning.

You can not fail, so go ahead, explore new territories, take risks, discover new topics and opportunities, teach yourself the skills you want to sharpen. Try and learn and try and learn and try and learn, over and over again. 

I think you will surprise yourself in what you are able to achieve if you’re willing to experiment.

Try all the things until you find that one thing that makes your heart sing, and when you find it, stand tall on the top of the tallest mountain you can climb and take a deep breath and belt that song out at the top of your fiery lungs.

I promise that eventually you will figure it out. And for some time you may feel less lost — that you are at the right place at the right time — until that time has past, and once again it will be time to grow.

Don’t worry about having all of the information right now. You are young. You have plenty of time to learn, and your life will be much more enjoyable if you can let go of the thought that you have to know what forever looks like.

You are on the right path. How do I know? Because you are paying attention to the path you want to be on, and just by listening you will find your way.

If you have the courage to follow the light, it will lead you exactly where you ask it go.