I used to think I was the only one who froze up at the question ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years?’ Turns out, my teenager gets the same deer-in-headlights look when asked about college.

Watching her face that question took me right back. Every career conversation where someone asked about my 5 year plan….ugh. And now here’s my daughter, getting bombarded with ‘What colleges are you looking at?’ and ‘What do you want to study?’

Instead of trying to figure it all out from behind a laptop, we went to Boston last weekend. We toured a few campuses, chatted with actual students, checked out a few bookstores (bought a few t-shirts!)

And you know what started happening? She went from “I don’t know” to “I could see myself here!” Just like that. No pressure, no perfect plan – just exploring and letting the possibilities unfold.

Did we solve the great college mystery? Nope! But we got something way better – actual experiences to help guide the decision, instead of just spinning in circles at home.

Here’s what I know to be true…Sometimes the best way to figure out your future isn’t to plan it – it’s to step into different versions of it and see what clicks. True for college choices, true for careers, true for pretty much any big life decision.

The next time you’re stuck on a big “What’s next?” question – stop planning, start exploring. The answers might just find you.