Surviving Your Quarter Life Crisis: Step 11

Step #11: Realize it’s Okay to be Unsure at this Point in Your Life

As you get deeper into the career change process, you still might not be 100% sold that your life is going in the right direction, or that you’re making the right decisions.

That’s completely normal. Until you’re actually in a better, happier place, you’ll likely be plagued by self-doubt and questions.

What if I’m making a huge mistake?

What if my new career isn’t going to be better than my last one?

What if I should’ve given my old job more of a chance?

What if I won’t be good at my new job?

What if I won’t be as successful in my new career?

What if going into debt wasn’t worth it?

What if I’m not going to be happier with this change?

All of this uncertainty is totally okay. It takes time to get to where you need—and want—to be, and that road isn’t always a straight shot or easy terrain.

Successful people are constantly evaluating if they’re doing the right thing. This article, “5 Simple Questions Successful People Ask Themselves Every Day,” offers some great guiding questions to keep you grounded.

Plus, the reassuring news is that you’ve already made it over the biggest, most difficult hurdle: being aware that you need a change. Reaching that level of self-awareness is something many people never achieve.

And the dirty secret is, nobody has life figured out—even your friends posting perfect-looking Instagram photos or flawless Snapchat videos.

Offline, even these seemingly put-together people have just as much self-doubt as you do. Everybody thinks that the grass is always greener somewhere else.

In fact, the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it”—e.g., pretending outwardly you have self-confidence, even if you feel anything but inside—was invented just for these situations.

Above all, remember that all of this is a completely healthy process you’re going through. Hitting a rough patch here and there now will lead to smoother sailing later.

Now that you’re realizing that it’s okay to be unsure at this juncture in your life, what comes next with this decision? How can you make this your best year yet? Follow us for quarter-life crisis survival tips and guidance, including the final step, published in a few weeks.