Remember to apply sunscreen

Baz Luhrmann, in the song, " Everybody's free to wear Sunscreen." said, 

           Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life.  
           The most interesting people I know didn't  know at 22 what they wanted to do with              their lives,some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t.

This thought really hit home the other day when a friend of mine told me he was leaving a career in the oil industry to become a writer. I was not really surprised by his decision. He is not the first person I know to switch careers like that. Last year a family member left a high profile job in the advertising industry to start his business.  The business is still trying to pick up. Does he regret it? No. He has enjoyed every moment of the challenge. I guess all these people who switched their career paths wanted to have a meaningful life than a career.

When I graduated from high school I came across lots of people who had their whole life and careers mapped out. Some wanted to be doctors, some wanted to be engineers or some wanted to start a business of their own. As for me, I didn't have any plans at all. I just went with the flow. I graduated from college and went on to do my masters not knowing exactly if the field I chose was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I thought I was different for not having planned my life.

Now, 10 years down the line I have come to realize that I am not much different from anyone else after all. There are so many people who thought they had their lives figured out back then but are still trying to figure out their lives. As we go through life and experience new things on this journey we come to realize what we actually like or dislike. Every moment is a learning experience. 

So there in no shame in not having a plan for life. At the end of the day it is about trying to figure out what makes you happy. Even if you take your whole life trying to figure out, you will have fun doing it and have some stories to tell your grandchildren. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said , " Life is a journey, not a destination." So we might as well enjoy this journey because that's what makes memories, and aren't they the ones that console us ?