Hello 23......I see you, peaking your head around the corner.
I’ve waited for so long to finally feel like i’m an adult. Most importantly though, to feel as if I am on the right track and doing the right things. It’s taken quite a bit of stumbling, but I feel as if I’ll make it. I always believe in myself but just like everyone else, sometimes I doubt myself.
I spent the last five years being in the same place and not really changing anything. I left home to go to college, but like clockwork I returned back home to work in the summer. It was a good paying job and most importantly, afforded me countless opportunities for growth. I worked my ass off. 82 hour weeks when we needed it, but the reward was so much better than I could have imagined.
I spent time with some of the world’s greatest and smartest kids. I have so much faith in these students and their capabilities because I watched them come together from all over and love each other. It gives me such warmth to know that I had a chance to work with them. One of the rewards was building lasting relationships, not just with the students but also with my coworkers. I have this awful habit of living and breathing work when I love it. I say that it’s awful because every once in a while when your friends are out doing something fun and you are home or still at work the FOMO kicks in. The cool thing about technology today is that it actually cures my FOMO. I can check in to see what my friends were doing via Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook etc.. You are in the process of making new friends and potentially adding to your tribe of supporters. You know you have the right friends, when they encourage you to do so. It takes a little long sometimes to realize that not everyone who is around you belongs there. Creating work memories and relationships is a key part of life. Working is important.
It’s really strange the world we live in today, and I am realizing I am not a kid anymore. I’m almost at the end of my college career and I’m already living on my own, working two jobs, maintaining relationships, and working on my self. I learned in my five years of what may have been “overworking” the significance of a healthy work life balance. It’s cool to work but there are important memories with family and friends that shouldn’t be missed out on. Especially if it can be avoided. I am looking forward to using all of the knowledge that I gained from these lessons in my next year. I am excited to apply life lessons to real time situations. I am overjoyed to be afforded yet another great opportunity, because someone believes in me.
I love opportunities to learn, I love the chance to do something different and something new. Although, I loved working in the same place for the last five years, it was my comfort zone. It was for me something that I already knew how to do. I feel like as we get older we have to face new challenges. Every new lesson you learn in life is somehow challenging. Sometimes it challenges your beliefs, other times it challenges who you think you are as a person. I learned a lot about myself as a person and as an employee over the last five years. I really dedicated myself to work. I became a work zombie. I learned how difficult it is to maintain a healthy state by doing that pretty quickly though.
Running on 1000. Barely getting any sleep because you’re so nervous you may have missed a detail (knowing damn well you didn’t, because you checked to make sure it was done a thousand times.) but it gives you such a rush. I am totally a work addict and I have no shame in that. I like to work, it gives me joy, it makes me feel as if I have something to do, as if I have a purpose.
I know that ultimately I would like to work for myself one day, and own multiple businesses (and I will) but I am patient enough to recognize that it won’t happen tomorrow. I know that it is going to take so much more work and dedication, but I am ready.
I am ready for 23. I am ready to take on new challenges and step out of my comfort zone and do something different. I want to say thank you to everyone that has helped me get this far. I have been blessed with incredible mentors, endless opportunities and a tribe of people that love me. I am so blessed to have so many people wishing me well, I am so lucky to be able to wish them well on their journeys of life. Pushing each other to succeed is one of the most positive things we can do for the people we love. It’s such an important role in your life and I am so thankful my parents praised me when I earned it. And as much as it pains me to say it, I’m happy they also scolded me when I deserved it. I have so much respect for my parents and for my tribe. My tribe is made up of all the people that love me. All of the people that have helped me along the way. I have an immensely large group of supporters. Thank you for helping me get to see 23. Thank you for your warm words of encouragement. Thank you for teaching me, even when I tried to tune you out.
I’m proud of who I am today. I know that I still have so much more growing to do. I have surrounded myself with a great support system. You never know where life is going to take you. In the last year, I’ve met some of my closest friends. My father always spoke of quality of quantity and I try my hardest to live by that saying. In pretty much every category, except for maybe shoes. Not that I don’t by quality shoes, but I just buy too many. Hence why i’m still broke and in school (obviously I still need to take some come finance courses). Sorry for the tangent. Back to my point though these are tough lessons to learn, at least i’m won’t be 30 years old, with the same bad habits. I will continue to grow as I age. I know that with each new year, there will be more growth. I do not know what kind of challenge each year will bring but I can say that I am ready. I feel more prepared than I have ever to continue this journey of life. It’s as though I am standing at a fork in the road and I can confidently choose which direction I think it’s best.
Fearlessly awaiting your arrival,
annaxmalina
titsay
gummygunk
germansingergirl