Master of What?

Excuse me for a moment while I get on my soapbox. I’d like to speak on behalf of all of those, myself included, that don’t have a piece of paper that says we went to college for four or more years, studied a specific subject and are now “experts” in said field and therefore are more knowledgeable and more capable of handling a job in that area. This is one of those things that just annoys me to no end. And I’ll tell you why.

There is a lot of pressure on teenagers as they finish high school to figure out what they want to do. But how many times do people change their mind during college and switch majors? And how many times do people change careers? Why is there so much pressure to “figure out” our lives?

Speaking as one who has changed her mind several times over the years, I’m glad that I didn’t go to college and get a degree….yet. I’m not apposed to the idea, I just don’t want to waste time and money trying to figure it out when I could be living my life and earning money while I explore the options. I like the ideas of internships and apprenticeships. Why don’t we do that more often? See, I’m a hands-on learner. I don’t do very well trying to learn from a book. I have to be doing and seeing in order for things to sink in and make sense to me. But I’m also a fast learner, so it works for me. The tough part sometimes is finding someone who is not only willing to teach you, but a good teacher as well.

If you get done with high school and you don’t know what you want to do, maybe you should just take some time off and work and figure some things out. Find an area you have an interest in and get a job in that area. Then, if you love it, go to school. On the other hand, if you hate it, cross it off your list and move on. Don’t beat yourself up and think that you’ve just wasted time. No, quite the contrary, you’ve found something that you can cross off your list so you can go to the next interest. I’ve heard the excuses as well, “Well, if I don’t just go to school now and get it over with then I’m afraid I’ll lose my motivation and never go”. If that’s your thinking, then you’ve got bigger problems in the “lack of motivation” department that needs work. Or, “If I go to school now or go to this specific school then my parents will pay for it. Otherwise, I’ll have to go it alone”. Then go it alone! You’re an adult now and it’s time you started acting like one. Who cares if you accrue some debt along the way? It’s smart debt that you’ll pay off with a job and if you die, the government writes it off. It’s a pretty good deal if you think about it. Debt doesn’t have to be an omen hanging over your head. Most people have some. Some have a lot. Truthfully, I’d rather have debt and live my life to the fullest then concentrate on just eliminating it and miss out on opportunities. (I realize all the Dave Ramsey followers are shaking their heads right now, but that’s okay. They’ll live.)

I’m in my mid-twenties and there are so many things about my life that I have not yet figured out. But there are a lot of roads that I know I don’t want to go down. How? Because I’ve been there and learned that those particular directions are not for me. And really that is one of the best ways to learn. You have to get out and try things in order to know who you are. Sure, it can be painful. Often is actually. And it can be very frustrating too. But these are the things that shape us into who we are.

So if you find yourself frustrated with where you’re going, or not going. And if you’re tired of people wondering what you’re doing wandering around trying to figure out your life, know that you aren’t alone. There are lots of people in that same boat. And at this point in my life, I’d rather be in the boat going somewhere then stuck on land wishing I were at sea.

Here’s an excerpt from one of my favorite books: 

Congratulations!

Today is your day!

You’re off to great places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go…

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there”. With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town…

And will you succeed?

Yes, you will indeed.

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed).

Kid, you’ll move mountains…

Today is your day.

Your mountain is waiting.

So… get on your way. ~Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You’ll Go

Just Part of the Story

How many times in life has this crossed your mind, "Well, that didn't turn out like I thought it would"? If you're like me, it happens quite frequently. And if you know me, you know that I don't really plan a whole lot. And I definitely don't plan very far in advance. Why? Because I've learned through experience that life rarely turns out "like I planned". Now don't get me wrong, I understand that there are things that require planning. But planning requires commitment and that is where I freeze up. I think part of the reason I have such a hard time committing to things is because somewhere deep down I have a fear that they will fail. And I'll be left once more standing in the dust wondering what happened and why I bothered. I'm not legitimizing my fear, I'm just once again acknowledging it and perhaps getting a bit closer to figuring it out and facing it head on. 

I also like having options and change and keeping possibilities open. It's for this reason that it's always hard for me when a "chapter" closes. When the page turns and it's time to move on with no going back, I start to get a little nostalgic. (By the way, I always hate getting to the end of a good book.) I'm one of those people that likes to walk down memory lane a lot. Some might find this strange since I'm also constantly trying to see around the next bend in the road. But I think we all have been guilty of not enjoying things "in the moment" as much as we should. Memories can be a wonderful thing or a nightmare. Either way, they seem to haunt us and make letting go that much more difficult. And whether we like it or not or are ready for it or not, chapters close, life goes on. 

For reasons I won't go into, today was a tough day for me. It was a day of closing chapters and moving on. But here's the thing, even when a chapter closes, that's not the end of the book. You just have to keep reading and see what happens...

 

When It's Time To Move

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the ideas of moving and home and finding ones place in the world. I recently had a conversation with a friend and we both admitted that neither one of us feels like where we are is "home" right now, but we're not sure that where we came from is either. And I'm of the school of thinking that until you find something that makes you happy or until you know that where you are is where you're supposed to be for a while, then keep moving. And as we move, God will do things and show us things along the way. 

This morning I was reading in the book of Joshua (one of my faves) and some of the verses that I have loved for years, hit me in a new and different way. When God asks us to go somewhere or do something, we need to keep moving until we get there. When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, that was a big "God thing". But they didn't stop and dwell on it for too long. They sang a song and kept going. However, when they crossed the (much smaller) Jordan River into the land that was to be theirs, God asked them to make a memorial to remember what He had done there. This may same strange, but I think it was because they had "arrived". They were finally where God wanted them to be. The things He had done for them along the way were big and I'm sure that He didn't want them to forget the miracles and lessons, but they were still on the move. God had much more in store for them and needed them to keep going. 

Sometimes we get caught up in all the "big" things that God has done and we think we need to stop and reflect and make a "memorial". We almost look at it as a time to rest from where we're going and what we're doing when in reality, God wants us to keep moving. If we're following Him, it makes sense that He's going to be doing things all along the way. That's one of the ways we know that we're going in the right direction. But sometimes we just need to "sing a song" and keep walking. Thank Him for what He's done, how He's provided and remember when you come to your next challenge, He's still going to be there and "He's got this one".