JESSICA GIANNONE — Opinions Editor
It is unclear how many people actually wind up where they plan. When individuals carry on day to day, ever embarking on these anticipations we call dreams, they may have clear directions of their life paths, methods of goal-attainments or simply driving wills.
But a lot of the time, things change—that’s to be expected.
The reality—not necessarily a negative reality—is that many switch paths, get caught up with other opportunities. Some even fumble upon new career desires after exposure to different fields and environments, letting go of the blueprints they once held of their life plans from the very first day of college (maybe even from the age of five, or their junior year at a university).
It would probably take years of study, extensive interviews and background gatherings (and possibly some psychoanalysis) to truly pinpoint the number of beings that end up in different places than that of which they began or intended.
The psychologist might become a teacher. The public relations executive might become a journalist. The doctor may become a personal fitness instructor. The stockbroker may become an accountant. The lawyer: a writer (John Grisham). The actor: a governor (not so unrealistic after all).
Maybe we really can do it all.
But the point we should remember is to always expect the unexpected. Greet new ordeals with understanding rather than surprise.
We can’t deny the possibility of veering off the course, but we want to believe we have inevitable control over our lives. It is easy to paint a map and follow it, especially one we’ve been counting on for so long. But the thing about maps is, there are endless destinations to stumble across.
Most importantly, what you initially hoped for might just be the forgotten dream that leads you to the ultimate, ideal finish line.
Unfortunately, we spend so much time and energy mapping out our careers, working hard to achieve each tier of accomplishments. Step by step we may anxiously analyze our decisions and carefully continue on with our plans, trying to fulfill our voids to fit in with society and become someone.
We want to utilize our education; we want our money’s worth; we want to know that we can attribute our achievements to our good thinking and persistence. Otherwise, it seems like a waste.
However, what did we really waste if every stone led us to the next?
No one knows if his or her picture-perfect vision will turn to be true, or if something else will come along. But ask anyone you know, and they will most likely tell you they landed in a place quite different from where they thought they would be.
I don’t know if my circumstances or stone-set determinations will ever change, or if I will be one of the many who wind up settling for, or soaring in, a new passage. Simply, I don’t know if I will recognize a swerve off the track when it comes, but I plan on it.
