If I could sit across from my 18-year-old self — wide-eyed, anxious, and desperate to get life right — this is what I’d say:
Take a breath.
You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going, who you’re going to marry, or what job you’ll do for the rest of your life — and that’s okay. The pressure you feel? It’s mostly in your head. Everyone around you seems to have a five-year plan, but secretly? Most of them are winging it too.
You’re about to make some big decisions: college, relationships, career paths, even how you see yourself in the world. And while some of those choices will lead you somewhere beautiful, others will teach you through pain. That’s part of the journey.
I wish I could tell you now what I know now:
You don’t have to rush into love just to avoid being alone.
Some people are meant to stay in your past — and that doesn’t mean you failed.
You don’t have to stick with a path just because you started it.
It’s okay to change your mind, to walk away, to start over.
You don’t have to smile through everything.
It’s okay to cry, to ask for help, to admit you’re scared.
There will be days when you feel like you’re falling behind — watching friends graduate, get married, buy houses, while you’re still trying to figure out who you really are. But here’s the secret: life isn’t a race.
Your timeline is yours alone.
You’ll lose people. You’ll break up. You’ll quit jobs. You’ll move cities. You’ll doubt yourself more than once. But every stumble, every detour, every heartbreak will shape you into someone stronger, wiser, and more real.
And someday, you’ll look back and realize that all the wrong turns actually led you exactly where you needed to go.
So slow down. Be kind to yourself. Ask questions instead of pretending you have all the answers. Say “no” sometimes. Say “yes” sometimes, even when you’re scared.
And most importantly — trust that you’re becoming someone worth knowing. Not just to the world, but to yourself .