Man, does time fly! We are already in July 2016. Brighton jokes that I say that every month… and he might be right. That’s because I am always looking forward at what I have coming up that I tend to round time rather ridiculously. For instance, last weekend I said, “I can’t believe that June is already over!” when we had another week left in the month. Brighton says that time is always flying by for me because I only live 3 week months. I guess there’s some truth to that statement.
June has been an interesting month for me. I usually don’t discuss my career life on the blog much, but I’ll briefly go into it since it’s something that’s been at the forefront of my mind recently.
Right after we got back from Washington & Vancouver, I started a new job in the same field that I was genuinely excited about. I thought that it would give me excellent experience in a different section of the hospitality industry, and give me room for advancement. In reality, it gave me perspective. Perspective that I didn’t know I was missing.
When I graduated college, I was set on being a Race Director for big running events. My internship was thrilling. I loved the fast-paced environment, and the ability to create something that I am proud of that others enjoy. As many recent graduates realize, the path to your dream is not always direct or easy, and sometimes there are detours in life that can be great learning experiences or even a newfound love that they didn’t know existed or possible.
I quickly have learned that change of perspective can force a change of direction. I am doing just that.
Sometimes I hear my parents’ generation talk about how they wish they had done this or that, but then they had children or some other obstacle and gave up on their ultimate goals. The reality of now is setting in.
If I want to reinvent myself or simply invent myself, now is the time to do so. This is my chance. I don’t have any children (except my kitties who told me they’re willing to move), I don’t have a mortgage, I have a supportive husband, and I’m just starting to establish myself post-graduation in adulthood.
This is my time to take risks with the potential to fail.
I know I was sounding so positive, and then I drop the F-bomb. But hear me out!
Failure is necessary in order to gain perspective, learn life lessons, and most importantly, recover and move forward. Think about the hardest and most important lessons you’ve learned in your life… Where did a majority of them stem from?
Well, for me, I took chances where there was a risk of failure. I threw caution to the wind and tried new, scary, exciting things! I would say that one of my biggest risks thus far is taking the chance to move to Salt Lake City in the senior year of my college career. I knew nobody, I had no income, and I had no idea how to drive in snow! What was I thinking?!
Well, now I think that it has been the best decision of my life! I met my husband. I get to spend most weekends out in the mountains. Life is generally pretty good. Though, I will note that I’ve had my fair share of unfortunate, less-than-ideal jobs, and I miss my Florida support system like crazy.
Fear of failure and taking risks stops so many people from going for their dreams, goals, and chasing their passions. I don’t want to be one of those people if I can avoid it.
Failure:
Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success.
Perhaps if we don’t reach the intended objective doesn’t mean that we can’t still make success out of a failure.
When I asked my friends and family about a time where I failed and learned from it, they had a hard time thinking of things. My best friend of over 10 years said that I always think of something to adapt because that’s the way I am. I don’t necessarily fail, but I realize that a change of direction is necessary for my success, and I change to get to my goal. That’s the important part.
Take risks. Don’t be afraid to fail. If life doesn’t go as planned, just adapt. Be persistent to get to your goals.
I am listening to my intuition to try something new that allows me to exercise my creativity muscles, while also letting me create something that I am proud of, that others can enjoy.
I’ve loved photography as a hobby for many years. In fact, my parents say that one of their favorite photos of the two of them was taken by me at the young age of three. Through middle school, high school, and college, I was the event planner and photographer of my friend groups.
Brighton has encouraged me to learn new techniques and skills for photography, specifically in the post-production side (Photoshop, Lightroom), and his excitement for continually learning in his own field has ultimately encouraged me to pursue this passion.
I may “fail” or I might just adapt to create success. Whatever way you look at it, I’ll never the know the result if I stand still and refuse to take chances in life. Success, adaption, failure— An action is required for any result.
What’s my next stop? Always adventure. 🙂