Purpose. Everyone strives to have a purpose in their lives, whether it be the little girl down the street that wants to be a vet or the boy next door who wants to be an astronaut. Everyone around me seems to know what they’re doing, set in stone, for the rest of their lives. I’m not like that. 

I’ve never really thought too hard about myself and what I wanted to do with my life. It’s always been school, then sports, then having fun with friends. I’ve never had the time—or desire—to think about the far future, just the time to think about the day at hand. 

As I reached high school, I realized that I should start figuring out my life. I narrowed down the sports I participated in to swimming and started focusing on classes I liked, such as math, science, and economics. Still, I struggled to think about myself. I had no idea what I wanted to do after I graduated high school. I felt lost.

My high school years went on, and I kept on gaining new experiences, meeting new people, learning new things. I started to be able to work in a group, something which I struggled with before. I picked up time management skills as I balanced my time between school, work, fun, and swimming. I learned about myself during this time, something which I realize now was lacking earlier in my life.

At present day, I still don’t know what I want to do. I’m still not like the other kids, with their lives planned out since the third grade. But one thing I do know is that I’m still learning. Learning about myself, others, and what my purpose in this world is supposed to be. I know that learning won’t come easy, but if I’ve learned one thing about myself over the 16 years I’ve been on Earth, it’s that I’m always ready for a challenge. And I’m ready for the biggest challenge yet: to find my purpose.