Don’t Drift

Dear younger me,

I’m writing this letter because you stayed too long in places that didn’t fit you.

You thought being quiet meant being weak.

You thought waiting meant you were patient.

You thought silence meant you were safe.

But silence isn’t always safety.

Sometimes silence is just a way of staying where you don’t belong.

You don’t need to be loud to be seen.

You don’t need to join every group to belong.

You don’t need to stretch yourself into shapes that make other people comfortable.

I know you think you’re supposed to wait for your life to begin — as if someone will hand it to you.

But life doesn’t always wait for you to be ready.

It moves whether you’re ready or not.

You used to believe that if you stayed long enough, things would change.

That if you were patient enough, doors would open.

But doors don’t always open just because you knock.

Sometimes they open because you decide to stop standing still.

The truth is, you can’t be in transition forever.

Transition isn’t a permanent place.

It’s a phase.

And you can’t let it become your identity.

You know what I realized later?

Having spaces open for you means you have to know what you want early.

You have to know your worth, your strength, your weaknesses.

You have to be clear about what you want and what you won’t accept.

You remember how you chose certain subjects just because they looked glamorous to other people?

You thought it would make you belong, make you fit, make you feel seen.

But it wasn’t your calling.

You were trying to blend in with a version of yourself that didn’t exist.

And you suffered because you were forcing yourself into a life that wasn’t yours.

You weren’t failing because you were weak.

You were failing because you were in the wrong place.

It’s like hydrogen — the pure element.

On its own, it’s reactive.

It’s unstable.

It wants to bond because it wants stability.

And because it knows its worth, it easily forms compounds that are stronger, better, and more stable than it ever was alone.

You are like that.

If you know your worth early, you don’t drift around.

You don’t keep circling people and places that don’t respect you.

You don’t waste your energy trying to fit into spaces that aren’t meant for you.

You don’t have to be everywhere.

You don’t need to be liked by everyone.

You don’t need to be used by anyone.

You only need to be true to yourself.

So this is what I want you to remember:

• Don’t drift.

• Don’t stay too long in places that make you smaller.

• Don’t give away your time like it’s endless.

• Don’t ignore the warning signs just because you don’t want to be alone.

You can be quiet and still be powerful.

You can walk alone and still be strong.

You can be selective and still be loved.

I remember the days you felt lost even when you were surrounded by people.

You kept trying to become someone else because you wanted to belong.

But you were already enough.

You don’t need to stay in the middle of confusion just because it’s familiar.

You don’t have to wait for life to happen to you.

You can choose it.

You don’t have to be “in transition” forever.

You can decide to move into stability — not because you found it, but because you created it.

Regardless of who you are, finding your feet early helps you achieve stability faster.

If you don’t circle around for too long, you don’t lose yourself.

If you know your worth, you can bond with the right people — the ones who build you up instead of taking from you.

You don’t need to be everywhere.

You don’t need to be liked by everyone.

You don’t need to be used by anyone.

You only need to be true to yourself.

So when you feel lost, when you feel unsure, when you feel like you’re drifting — remember this:

You are not meant to drift.

You are meant to belong — in the right place, with the right people, at the right time.

And when you finally find that, you will understand what it means to be at peace.

With love,

Your future self