There are seasons in life when the path ahead feels clear, and others when you have no idea where you’re going. This excerpt from Notes on Hope is for anyone who happens to be in one of those more uncertain chapters right now. It’s a reminder that if you’re feeling a little lost, perhaps you don’t need to find your way just yet.

Why Feeling Lost is Part of Growth

There will be chapters in your life when you don’t know where you’re going. The map is blurry, the path is uncertain, and every direction feels equally possible and impossible. Feeling lost isn’t a failure—it’s a sign that you’re in motion, even if it doesn’t feel like it yet. You’re in the process of evolving, of shedding one version of yourself before fully stepping into the next. You’re in the process of getting lost in order to find your way.

Detours that feel like mistakes are often your biggest teachers. They slow you down, they reroute you, and they throw questions at you that you didn’t know you needed to answer. They make you journey inward and ask: What do I truly want? Who am I becoming? What still feels right for me? What now feels wrong? This is healthy. This is human. This is how growth happens.

If you don’t know where you’re going next, you don’t have to rush. Stand still for a moment. Breathe. Let the dust settle. Stillness is not stagnation; it’s information. It’s your inner compass recalibrating. Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is simply wait until something inside you whispers: Now.

And when you do feel ready to move, take just one small step. Any step, in any direction. You don’t need a five-year plan or a flawless map. A single step will give you feedback. Listen to it. If it feels expansive, take another. If it feels heavy or wrong, pause. Adjust. Begin again. There is no rush. Your pace is your truth.

One of the most liberating things you can learn is that clarity often comes after the step, not before it. Sometimes you have to wander a little to realize what home feels like. Sometimes you might not know where you’re going until you’ve arrived. Trust the process. Trust yourself. Trust the universe; she has a way of guiding those who are willing to listen with an open heart.

Progress via Small, Continuous Steps

Someone once said to me, “I want to move forward, but I don’t know how.” I said, “Begin with one tiny step. Then take another. Without realizing it, you’re already moving forward.” This applies just as much literally as metaphorically. Progress doesn’t always feel like a breakthrough. Sometimes it’s tiny steps you barely notice. Other times it’s just a soft shift inside you. Sometimes it’s simply a willingness to keep going.

I often think of Alice before she reached Wonderland. She had to fall first. She had to tumble through confusion, uncertainty, and unfamiliarity. Maybe we’re all Alices in our own ways, falling and spiraling, not entirely sure where we’ll land. But maybe your version of Wonderland is closer than you think: a place where kindness guides you, hope steadies you, and a slower, more mindful pace begins to feel natural. A place where healing happens, where transformation settles in, where the Earth beneath your feet feels like home again.

Being lost really isn’t the opposite of being found. It’s the doorway to it. These are the places where hope often shows up; the places you never planned to go and the unexpected detours you didn’t see coming. These are the places that lead you back to yourself.

You’re not off track. You’re not behind. You’re not running out of time. You’re simply in a chapter where the path is revealing itself step by step, breath by breath.

Wander bravely. Listen deeply. Let the unknown shape you rather than scare you. And, most of all, keep journeying forward.

Journaling Prompt

Think of a time in your life when you felt lost. What did that chapter reveal about you?

Be brave with your answers.

This essay is an excerpt from the author’s book, Notes on Hope.