My dear Hannah,

You are trying to abide by society’s standards. Don’t. Abide by your happiness first and always (while trying your best to remain considerate of others, of course). You, like the sheer majority of us, have been led to believe to be instantly capable as soon as you became an adult. A misplaced discipline, unfortunately. Truth is no one really knows what they’re doing, they are only ever trying. However, if we remain determined, some of us find something meaningful to live up to AND for. You must do the same. Once you do, your drive to obtain your goal will eradicate all the fears within you. I’m sure, however, that you need will need more detail.

In overcoming your fears: along with the above-mentioned, you must learn to see and feel your very being in others, that they, too, are suffering beings doing the best that they know and can in this existence to obtain happiness. That they share the same fear and hope and want and need and courage and weakness and strength and everything else that you have inside you. You are all one and the same.

In finding a goal/dream: unless you open your mind and attempt new things, you may never find something worth living for. You must have the will to want and to do so. And, if what you find is important enough then you will make no excuses to chase after it. But where do you begin? You begin with what I often post to others: by experimenting. How will you know if you like acting unless you try it? Or eating artichokes? Or traveling overseas? Or watching live plays? Or knitting? Or roasted sesame ice cream? Etc…so continue to discover (at a comfortable pace to you, of course) until you find something worthy to dedicate your life to. Afterwards, everything will fall into place.

In being at peace of mind: accept that you do not know all the answers and never will and shouldn’t know it all in the first place. It is much more fun to discover things you never knew anyway, don’t you think? Understand that you must live for yourself, and not others, and you will come to find that by doing so you will have lived for them as well when you do. Take it slow, do not rush, do not feel rushed and do not let yourself be rushed. Life is not meant to live in chaos but in harmony. However, this is something that YOU decide. Mindfully analyze every event that arises in your life before making a decision and be at ease if you do not immediately find solutions for them. The answers will come when they’re meant to so don’t over worry over it. Do your best to recognize ‘happy’ moments and pause to bask in them when they present themselves. Train yourself to recognize all the beauty around you. Doing so will help in garnering positivity. Likewise, do your best to entertain positive thoughts as often as you can. See the positive in any situation.

Finally, I’ll leave you with this quote, “If you ever start taking things too seriously, just remember that we are talking monkeys on an organic spaceship traveling through the universe.” 🙂 I hope this helps. Good luck.