Only time can tell, and if I’ve learned anything, it’s that this simple idea holds more truth than we realize.

When I was younger, I was full of doubt. The future felt like a dark, endless stretch of unknowns, and every decision seemed like a monster lurking just out of sight. Choosing a path felt heavy, almost paralyzing, as if one wrong move could unravel everything.

Truthfully, that feeling never completely disappears. Even now, decisions can feel daunting. The stakes may look different, but the uncertainty remains. But something has shifted over time.

As I watch my nieces grow, I’m reminded of how each generation walks into life believing it must figure things out for itself. And in many ways, that’s exactly what has to happen. Because no matter how much advice we give, no matter how many lessons we try to pass down, life experience doesn’t transfer cleanly from one person to another. It has to be lived.

Every generation believes it has the answers. And so does the one before it. Inevitably, they collide—perspectives clashing, lessons questioned, wisdom tested. It can feel frustrating, even chaotic, but maybe that tension is necessary. Maybe it’s how growth happens.

What I’ve come to understand is this: life is a journey that each of us must walk on our own. We can walk it in fear, or we can walk it boldly, but we have to walk it ourselves. No one else can do it for us, and no one can fully prepare us for what’s ahead.

That doesn’t make guidance meaningless. It just means it has limits.

So if there’s anything I would say to those who are younger, it’s this: don’t let fear stop you. You won’t always feel ready. You won’t always know what the right decision is. And yes, some choices will change your life in ways you can’t predict. But that’s part of living.

We are all, in our own way, walking stories. Stories shaped by risk, by uncertainty, by mistakes, and by moments of courage. Stories that will one day be told, remembered, and maybe even learned from.

Only time can tell where those stories will lead.