So I started to build a world, 5 months later I have (un)voluntarily created an entire universe. What the hell went wrong?

I didn't expect this, I swear. When I first started, I had a pretty decent idea of what I wanted to create. I had a story to tell. The story of a young man in a certain setting, his hopes and dreams, his friends and foes, a world of strife and change. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Or so I thought.<br><br>The first few things I wrote down were pretty standard; climates, geography, cultures, certain notable events of the world's history, some characters. Nothing too fancy, and as previously stated, I had a very clear picture in mind. Before I knew it, I was creating a nation just so another nation could go to war over the outcome of said war and to create some sort of cold war era vibe in the current era. Then I wrote up a document on the surrounding nations, which in itself was nothing out of the ordinary. <br><br>Then I started to work on the neighboring continents, because I had to know what lay beyond the seas, and as I did, I created entire worlds, countries, cultures and species. I had no idea that humans wouldn't be a part of this universe's stories anymore, I had no idea I'd just written an entire lore for a completely different continent. <br><br>After that, I decided I wanted to go a bit further. I created an entire star system, with planets and all. I created aliens, entire worlds upon worlds, species and sub species and different cultures for each of those, who, shock horror, affected or were a part of the world I had previously created. I started to see certain patterns and cycles that were eerily familiar amidst all of these different worlds. <br><br>I saw empires rise and fall, the same trends of climate and its effects on cultures, the same religions that keep on popping up in some form or another across the planet, and I'm starting to see certain archetypes recurring in different eras, planets and continents. The more I create, the more I realize I've actually created very little. In fact, most of what I've created has been entirely on its own. I didn't put much of it together, I just did. I still have a general idea of the world I first wanted to create, and I still have a story I want to tell, but now I can barely see beyond the forest because of all the trees.<br><br>I have 300 odd pages with information on history, geography, climate, culture, notable events, notable people, all that jazz. I have barely scratched the surface, there is still a lot to build and explore, and at this point I'm kind of at a loss for what to do next. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I feel like I've kind of... lost sight of my original goal, and I lost control of the story at some point.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>&#x200B;