It would be the unusual 26-year-old who has their shit together mentally. I know I didn't when I was 26. People sure thought I did because I was a good student, but they didn't know how anxious I was all the time and how unsure I was in myself.

Now that I am 45, I have a lot of confidence in myself. Ngl, sometimes I feel like I might be arrogant! But I come by it honestly, by climbing a bunch of mountains. When I climbed my first mountain, I thought to myself, "Well, other people carried my bags for me, so it doesn't really count." When I conquered my second mountain, I thought to myself, "That was hard, but I only succeeded because the weather was so nice." I started feeling like I really am a bad ass only after I had climbed my tenth or 11th mountain...because it can take a while for you to appreciate that your accomplishments are meaningful and real.

All the meaningful victories I have under my belt remind me that I'm capable, strong, and not to be underestimated. But when I was 26, I didn't have anything like that to lean on, so of course I felt like a lightweight.

You probably don't need to change your mindset at all. You just need to remind yourself that you are young and that it is totally normal for young people to not be put together yet. One day you will be.