For Everyone Still Waiting For What’s Next

Hey you,

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it feels like to wait.

That strange space after school where life feels paused, but your mind won’t stop running.

Where every question sounds like, “So, what’s next?” and all you can think is, “I wish I knew.”

It’s been a year since I finished school, and honestly, nothing looks the way I thought it would.

NYSC still hasn’t started for me. I changed career paths, somehow ended up working with a tour company, and even started going to the gym. Life keeps shifting in ways I never planned.

And some days, it’s scary, because how do you plan when the map keeps redrawing itself?

But here’s what I’m learning: growth doesn’t always look like progress.

Sometimes, it’s just waking up, showing up, and choosing not to give up.

It’s in the quiet things: helping your family, learning something new, laughing with your siblings, finding one thing each day that makes the waiting softer.

If you’re in that space too, where it feels like everyone else is moving and you’re standing still, please know you’re not behind.

You’re not wasting time. You’re being prepared.

Every book you read, every small routine you build, every time you remind yourself to breathe, that’s growth too.

So instead of asking, “Why am I still here?” maybe try asking, “What is this season trying to teach me?” It might surprise you how much strength you’ve quietly been building.

And when the waiting feels heavy, remember, this isn’t the end of your story. It’s just a chapter that’s still being written.

If any of this sounds like where you are right now, I’d love to hear from you.

What’s something that’s been helping you hold on lately?

Write back to me, please. I’m here, cheering you on from this side of the waiting, too.

Love,

Golie from MANI