Being successful is a journey, not a destination.

This morning as I was browsing through my google reader and recent facebook posts, I found an interesting link from It Makes Me Think.com that, of course, made me think. It was a post called 60 Inconvenient Personal Development Truths, so being a soon-to-be-graduate of college and having no idea what the hell I'm going to do with my life, I decided to take a gander. The one that really struck a chord with me this morning was number 23- Being successful is a journey, not a destination. I think as college students living in a fast paced world that sometimes seems only care about how much money you make, what designer purse you have, and how big/nice your car or house is, we sometimes forget that life is a journey that lasts longer than graduating, getting a good job or going to the best graduate school. Life is about going with the flow and making the best of a bad situation. Life is challenging. Life doesn't end after graduation, or turning 30, or after getting married or having a baby and a mortgage.

Looking back on most of my senior year of college, I realize I've spent a lot of it worrying about my destination instead of being happy about where I am in this moment. And where has worrying about my destination gotten me? No where. There's nothing like having a defective stomach to put life in perspective and make one think about the purpose of living. I'm looking forward to spending my last two months of college enjoying my journey. There will be a job waiting for me at the end, and stressing about what job will not make that come any faster. The same goes for graduate schools. Millions of students have survived their journey to a post-graduate life, and I will too!

If you feel like getting inspired, check out the post: http://www.marcandangel.com/2011/02/28/60-inconvenient-personal-development-truths/

"You've Got A Fast Car"

Sitting here in this Starbucks, listening to a cover of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car and sipping on my latte, I wonder why I was in such a hurry to grow up? Maybe being in a hurry to grow up is the wrong term. Looking back at my life, I realize I didn’t really have much of a say about growing up. It feels like I woke up one day and had the responsibility of caring for another humane thrust upon my shoulders. Of course, I didn’t want to disappoint, so I just made sure my shoulders were stronger and went on my way. And in retrospect, when you’re taking care of a parent, other grown up decisions like spending the rest of you life with someone don’t seem as scary. Racing towards marriage and graduation almost seemed like a relief in a strange way. And then in one day everything completely changed. 

Now that dad is gone, the terrible relationship I was in is thousands of miles in the past and college graduation is on the horizon, I realize that I don’t want to grow up... again. I know it seems silly. I feel completely ridiculous feeling this way. I never used to be terrified of growing up. Or graduating. Of having a job and an apartment. Of finding that special someone and staring a family. Three years changes a lot. 

I enjoy my life of homework, projects, and poetry slams. I enjoy going out and dancing with friends. I enjoy knowing where I am in my life, where I will be for the next few years.  I enjoy not having a set path. I enjoy knowing that no on depends on me. I enjoy not feeling the need to couple up and get married. I enjoy having an endless amount of possibilities in front of me.

Now that college is coming to a close, I feel like that’s all slipping away. Suddenly there is an expiration date to my freedom (even though it’s really not). I feel like I’ve been racing to grow up all my life, and only after I’ve started to really enjoy where I am, it’s all going to change. It’s time to get a job, get an apartment, and start the next chapter of life. At least I know it’s going to be great.