The Universe Won’t Give You a “Why.” You Create It.

Everyone walks a different path in their life; some could have been interesting, some life choices can be beneficial, and some can be terrible. But remember, everything in this life is a life lesson not only for us but also for everyone around us. The question is, do you remember why you're here in the first place? Do you remember your "whys"?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

We often think, when we were kids, about things we wanted to do as adults, and now that we got what we wanted, does it feel like you're doing the right thing? How often do you see people who tried to follow their dreams and failed? That's the terrible feeling that you might be concerned about the future, and it's totally fine to feel that way.

Everywhere you turn, you’re told to “find your why.” It’s in TED Talks. School assemblies. Motivational Instagram reels. Teachers ask about your five-year plan. Parents want to know what you’re going to be. And social media makes it seem like everyone else your age already has a purpose, a dream, or a startup that’s about to go viral.

But if you’re being honest, maybe you don’t have a “why” yet. And that silence can feel like a failure.

But it’s not. In fact, the idea that you need to have your life’s purpose figured out by the time you finish school is one of the most misleading modern myths. Let’s unpack why through logic, science, and a little bit of philosophy.

The Pressure to Know Everything Early

There’s this unspoken timeline in society: Find your passion in high school. Pick the “right” course. Get the degree. Find the job. Stick to the plan. But real life rarely unfolds that neatly. In a world that praises clarity and certainty, being unsure is often misinterpreted as being lost. The truth is, uncertainty is often where the most meaningful growth begins.

As some people might argue, our understanding of anything meaningful, whether in science or life, is not static. It evolves. Hypotheses are formed, tested, revised, and sometimes thrown out altogether. Purpose is no different. You don’t start life with a clear blueprint. You build it from scratch in real-time.

The Physics of Becoming.

Dr. Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and futurist, has a way of blending science and imagination. He describes consciousness as a process, an evolving state of awareness shaped by experience, curiosity, and complexity. In that light, purpose isn’t a thing you find, it’s something you grow into. You are not a finished product. You are a living system in motion, in exploration, and yes, sometimes in confusion. And just like in physics, emergence plays a role: where order arises not from design, but from connection and interaction over time. In other words, your “why” may not come from a sudden epiphany but from patterns that emerge as you live your life.

Just as the universe is in a constant state of expansion, so are you. To borrow from Michio Kaku again: “The mind is like a muscle; it expands through experience, learning, and vision.” So give yourself permission to become, to not know, to change your mind, to shift your direction as you gather more data from the world and from yourself. This isn’t a detour, this is the process.

Start Small: The Value of Micro-Purpose.

Not every “why” has to be grand.

Maybe your purpose right now is: – Helping your parents with bills. – Passing that one tough subject. – Exploring what genuinely excites you. – Just getting through a hard week without giving up.

These are real purposes. They are not placeholders or waiting rooms for something bigger. They are the foundation of something bigger. Think of them like vectors in physics, small directional forces. When combined and repeated over time, they determine your momentum.

Why It’s Okay to Be Figuring It Out.

The belief that you must have a complete, polished answer to “what’s your why” by 18 or 21 is not only unrealistic it’s harmful. It creates anxiety. It blocks exploration. It forces young people into boxes before they’ve even had time to see the world. Purpose is not a destination you arrive at.It’s the side-effect of living intentionally. In fact, some of the most purpose-driven people didn’t start with clarity they started with curiosity. They explored. Failed. Switched directions.They asked better and better questions until those questions revealed a path worth walking.

Build, Don’t Chase.

So if you feel like you’re floating without a compass right now, that’s not a crisis. It’s an invitation. Keep asking questions. Keep trying things, even if they don’t “make sense” yet. Keep showing up, even when you're unsure what for. Your “why” will not arrive like a lightning bolt. It will grow with you through patterns, small wins, failures, and unexpected turns. And when it does, you’ll realize:

It wasn’t missing. It was loading.