Nobody Really Knows What They’re Doing

I only really feel behind when I compare myself to someone else. Outside of that, life moves at its own pace. Everyone is on a different timeline whether they want to admit it or not.

I think a lot of that pressure comes from what we are taught life is supposed to look like. You go to school, get your degree, get a job, start a family, buy a house, and keep moving through the checklist. There is this idea that if you hit all of those markers in the right order, then you have made it. The mirage that is the American dream.

We grow up led to believe there is a point where people arrive. A point where they know exactly what they want, have a perfect plan, and never question themselves again.

The more people I meet and the more creative people I talk to, the more I realize nobody really has it figured out. The people doing the most interesting work are still learning, still changing directions, still trying to figure out what they actually want.

I think that is a good thing.

As soon as you stop learning, you stop growing. The people I connect with most are usually the ones who are still curious and still learning.

Social media makes all of this harder. Instagram can make it look like everyone has it all together. If your content is cohesive enough, it is always going to look like you have your life and career perfectly dialed in.

But social media is an output. It is not real life.

I think a lot of people deal with imposter syndrome too. You can have years of experience, good work, happy clients, and still feel like you are behind or not doing enough. You can be doing things people once dreamed of doing and still convince yourself that everyone else is more talented, more successful, or more certain than you are. That feeling probably never fully goes away. You just get better at not letting it control you.

Most people are still figuring things out behind the scenes. They are questioning themselves, trying new things, failing, pivoting, changing their minds, and hoping it all works out.

Every year I find myself trying to figure out if I am in the right place or if there is somewhere else I should be. I try to find new clients, learn new skills, and put myself in situations I have not been in before. I do not think that feeling ever really goes away.

At one point I thought I wanted to work for an agency or be in house for one brand. Now that feels limiting to me, because both of those outcomes have their own ceilings. I like being able to work with different people on different types of projects. It keeps things fresh. It keeps me interested. If I had followed the exact plan I thought I was supposed to years ago, I probably would have missed out on a lot of things that fit me better.

I think sometimes not having a plan can actually help. Maybe not having a perfect roadmap makes it easier to stay open to new things. Knowing what your skills are and being willing to see where they take you might be the real plan.

Perfection is overrated too. It does not exist. What feels perfect to me is not going to feel perfect to someone else. The important thing is knowing when something is done, being okay with its flaws, and taking what you learned into the next thing.

Uncertainty can actually be a skill if you use it the right way. You do not have to know exactly how to do everything. You just need enough confidence to believe that you will figure it out when the time comes.

Nobody really knows what they’re doing. Some people are just better at pretending.

The important thing is to keep going anyway.

-MS