How Can I Feel More Confident About My Future?

Dear eNotAlone: I'm in my mid-twenties, and I've been feeling more and more anxious about the future, especially in the past few months. I finished school a few years ago and I have a great job, but I find myself constantly worrying about what I should do next and whether my current career will lead to the life I want. I don't want to live a regular, average life, but I can't seem to figure out how to make sure my future is anything but ordinary. Help!

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No matter who you are, feeling anxious about the future is perfectly normal, especially in your twenties, when you're trying to balance career and personal goals while establishing yourself as a competent adult. The challenge lies in recognizing that future you've envisioned, accepting it, and feeling confident enlisting the right strategies to make it happen.

Start by allowing yourself to explore all the possibilities for your future. For example, think about the life that you want and the things you value most. What habits would you have? Who would you associate with? What kinds of books would you read? Don't be afraid to be creative with this exercise and aim high—you don't have to (and likely won't) reach all of your goals, but dreaming big can help you determine where your priorities lie.

Trust yourself, too. You know yourself better than anyone else, so listen to your intuition and beliefs. You may not have a foolproof five-year plan yet, but that doesn't mean you aren't capable of making important decisions. Examine your unique skills and interests and ask yourself, "What do I have to offer?" Knowing what your strengths are and what you have to contribute to the world can help you hone in on who you are and the type of career that suits you best.

Once you have a better idea of where you're headed, it's important to make short and long-term goals that will build the foundation for a successful future. Keep in mind that ambitions take time to materialize, and focusing on achieving one small milestone at a time will prevent burnout over the long haul. Talk to your friends and family about aspiration ideas, research career paths that fit your goals, follow relevant people and companies on social media and use the resources available to you to push the limits towards success.

Never underestimate the power of taking risks. It may sound counterintuitive at first, but sometimes the very nature of risk-taking can pay off. Think of a risk as an opportunity to explore potential outcomes and fail without any real lasting damage. Take a class or reach out to a distant company, set out on an adventure, or try something totally new; it rarely ever hurts—and it can expand the possibilities for future experiences.

Remember that worrying about the future can be helpful if it culminates in meaningful action that takes you closer to where you want to be, but it does no good if it's paralyzing or negative. Develop methods for combatting stress and anxieties, such as meditating, journaling, talking to a counselor, walking outside, reaching out to friends and family, and writing down a specific plan of action. Learning to love the work that you put in will make it seem more meaningful, and striving for authenticity in your relationship with yourself will make you more aware and resilient in the face of change.