Happy Sunday and welcome back!
This week I am bringing a different type of post to my blog. I have had a lot going on recently that has affected my performance with my blog and I thought I would shed some light on that.
As you know, I love being honest and keeping you guys up-to-date on what’s going on and where I am at…especially through Instagram so I thought why not just make a whole post about my current life happenings.
The past six months since coming home, I have felt somewhat lost. I hadn’t taken the time to just sit down and really think about what I want out of my life. Part of the reason I went to Spain was to figure out what to do with my life, but I feel that I have come back more confused…but in a good way. It’s been challenging me to really take the time to search for what I want and therefore, here are some changes/goals that I have made or will make in 2019.
1. I moved to a new city.
Okay, I never officially announced this, but I think it’s been obvious if you follow me on social media. Regardless! It was a big change for me. I have moved to Wichita, KS. Upon coming home, I was living with my dad so that I could work and save money to get my own place. I was in a somewhat deeper hole after coming home from Spain so I needed to get caught up on money and that was what made the most sense. So after months of saving, I bit the bullet and moved into a studio apartment and it’s been really good for me. I mentioned in another post that coming home was somewhat depressing and I didn’t feel happy for awhile. Most of that was because I felt like I had lost the independence I had just lived for two years so moving out again and into my own place has been a breath of fresh air for me and good way for me to “start over.”
2. I quit my job and started a new one.
When I moved back to the U.S., I found a job very quickly at a non-profit in Wichita and it was a blessing. I really loved working there and the people I worked with were unbelievably great, but I just wasn’t passionate about the job itself. I had planned with just settling with this job despite not enjoying it very much. But you guys know me, I am very motivated and preach all the time that you shouldn’t settle for anything less than what makes you happy so I knew I needed to find a change that would help set me in the “right” direction.
In turn, I was a offered a job at law firm as a legal assistant and I took it. Because I studied Political Science this new job is more related to what I concentrated in with my studies so I felt like it was a necessary change and could potentially help me figure out what I want to do in the future.
3. My master plan has changed.
This is somewhat new considering that I just made this decision last week, but my overall game plan for my life has changed. It was basically a set goal in my mind that I would start graduate school in 2019.
I always get compliments on how much I have it “together.” However, my future was full of goals that I thought I “SHOULD” be accomplishing, but the truth is guys, my life when it comes to choosing a career is somewhat of a disaster and a hot mess.
This is for two reasons: 1) I have commitment issues and 2) I want to do so much.
Choosing a what I want do career wise for me right now is something I am actually very self-conscious about. I am very type A when it comes to being sure about myself and the fact that I am unsure about what I want to do in the future is unsettling. When people ask what my end goal is or what I want to be, I freeze up and I can’t give an answer because I really do not know. At one time, I thought that it was become an attorney or become a CEO of a non-profit, and while I am still interested in those two things, a plethora of other careers have also been catching my eye.
I am simply interested in so many things and committing to one is terrifying in the reality that I might choose the wrong one. However, I don’t believe my commitment issues are a bad thing, but they are making it more difficult when trying to figure out what to do.
That being said, I have decided to not apply or attend grad school or law school until I have my feet firmly planted in regards to what I want to pursue. Originally my idea was to suck it up and just get my masters degree in public administration and hope that everything will figure itself out after that. But I realized not too long ago that that isn’t what I want and it was no way to live.
I don’t want to leave my life in the hands of fate, so I will wait and continue to work on myself and focus on finding what I want to do before committing to something just for the sake of settling with a career and wasting a lot of money on another degree when I am unsure if it is the right decision for me or not.
4. Take the FSOE in 2019
One thing that I do know I want out of life is pursuing a career track that allows me to stay global. Traveling and seeing the world has become very important to me and that’s something I will not give up. To do this, I plan on taking the Foreign Service Officer Exam (FSOE). A friend and I were talking and she mentioned that she had always wanted to take this exam as well. So last minute we decided that we will make it a goal for 2019 to study for and take the FSOE.
Many people take this exam when they are interested in becoming diplomats or working for the government abroad, but it is useful for many different careers and if you pass it illustrates global awareness which would help me to achieve my goal of pursuing a goal in anything international related. Whether that is international relations, becoming a diplomat, working for global non-profit, or working with international law.
Benefits from this exam are not only career related but it will teach me an incredible amount about the world and it is beneficial in itself just from the knowledge that I can personally gain just from studying for it. So it’s a win win situation.
Why I posted this blog?
Going into the new year, I want a complete and hard reset. Moving to a new city, getting a new job, ditching “should be” goals, and planning to take the FSOE are all the perfect mixture of helping me to start anew.
I have also set goals for myself in the areas of:
-fitness
-health (mental and physical)
-finances
-relationships
-personal growth
-general life
I love listing my goals because it helps keep me accountable and gives me something to work towards. When I don’t do this, I feel off track and I can procrastinate A LOT.
I have already started working towards most of these goals and have trickled changes slowly into my life that will help set me up for success in the new year to achieve them. If you find yourself struggling motivationally then make a some goals, create a plan, and stick to it!
Start today, start now, and make yourself a priority! Taking small steps right now will help keep you inspired and push away procrastination that only leaves you feeling anxious and unsuccessful.
The best time to start over is now.
Sending you lots of love and luck as we begin this journey together…
M
