I have been a John Green fan since my freshman year at high school and needless to say, The Fault In Our Stars was the first book that I read. Hence testifying my very cheesy personality. Ergo, I ended up reading paper towns, Turtles all the way down and there it was, Looking For Alaska. A book that I feel safe to say has changed my life.  In the novel, the main character Miles moves away to a boarding school to "seek a great perhaps", to expand his horizon, like any other young adult like us would want to. Call it a stroke of luck or whatsoever, that very book came to me at the right time in my life. The time when I had just started to figure out my "great perhaps". 

When Francois Rebelais died, he said "I go to seek a great perhaps", thus leaving many people puzzled. Is the great perhaps attainable after death or is it an anchor, fastening you to life? I’d rather say that your great perhaps is something that you’re meant to figure out, it’s a journey that puts you through stumbling blocks but you rise triumphant anyway. We’ve all got worries, debts and bills to pay but each and every one of us is seeking a different great perhaps. Maybe you’ll get married, land your dream job, build a white picket fence around your bunglow and all those materialistic items that you dream of. Few of you choose inner peace and satisfaction. And few of you focus on the what ifs of life. See? Every great perhaps is different. So the question shouldn’t be about what the great perhaps is. Instead, you should be wondering how to seek what you’re seeking. 

I often wonder how many of us are so focused on the final destination that we forget to appreciate the journey. We idolize success, but we rarely talk about the process—the nights of doubt, the days of small wins, the moments when we felt lost but somehow found our way. The truth is, seeking a great perhaps is not about reaching a particular milestone; it’s about embracing every step along the way, even the missteps.

Think about the people in your life who have shaped you. The friendships that started unexpectedly, the mentors who saw potential in you before you saw it in yourself. The late-night conversations, the long drives, the small acts of kindness that made a difference. None of these were part of a grand plan, yet they hold so much value. Your great perhaps isn’t just about what you achieve—it’s about who you become in the process.

Maybe your great perhaps will change over time. Maybe today it’s about self-discovery, tomorrow it’s about making a difference, and years from now, it’s about creating a legacy. And that’s okay. We’re allowed to evolve. We’re allowed to change our minds. The only thing that matters is that we continue to seek, to grow, to live with intention.

So, instead of waiting for life to happen to you, why not take a more active role in shaping it? Why not embrace the uncertainty, the risks, the failures, and the triumphs? Why not allow yourself to dream, to believe, to hope?

Your great perhaps is waiting. Not in the distant future, not in some idealized version of success, but right here, right now, in the choices you make every single day.

We get so caught up thinking about what we want that we never really stop and look at what we have, or how much fun we’re having in the moment. It’s a behavior we all develop sometime during our adolescence. Occupied with the what ifs, we never stop to look at how far we’ve come. In our capitalist world, its easy to get caught up with what we could have — better shoes, a faster car, that nicer watch — that we often forget to be thankful for what we do have.We choose to measure our worth in materialistic things. But what if this is the wrong great perhaps? We should seek content, not more. Your great perhaps, whatever it may be, should help you find content in the mundane. To enjoy washing the dishes, to enjoy your day job, to be thankful for what you have instead of being jealous of your peers. That’s the great perhaps I want to seek.

So, why can’t we stop and smell the flowers on the way? Why can’t we stop and click the pictures of the beautiful sunrise while driving to school? Why can’t we be a little late to our meetings because we were spending time with our parents? We all have dreams and aspirations. Your Great Perhaps — whatever it may be — should be a journey, not a chore. Your Great Perhaps should help you find joy in life, not cause you grief along the way.

- Anushka Sharma