How do you feel about all this right now?
I feel like I keep coming back to this question. I never know what the answer is off the top of my head, which means I have to pull a Rodin and think on it for a bit.
This may only apply to me right now, but it feels like I’m dealing with grown up problems that I wasn’t ready for this early in my life. When I followed the rules set forth for my generation to accomplish everything to be successful, I don’t think I read the chapter on “After You’re on Your Own.” Ok, I’m going to be honest: I don’t think the chapter existed.
I did what I was told. Get into a prestigious university. Check. Graduate with a degree. Check. Move out of the nest. Get a job. Check, check.
Since graduation it’s been a bit of a roller coaster. I moved to DC where I only knew a couple people, spending the summer figuring out how to make friends when school didn’t do that for you. I was in a serious car accident that not only gave me back problems, but affected my sleep and stress. I kept moving up in my career, and then last year literally moved to Minnesota. I took a leap of faith just as the economy took the bottom out from under me. The entire time I’ve been away from my family.
Gen-Y is known for independence but thrives on teamwork. We rely on each other and family to help us through hard times. It’s not passé to move back home, save money, and have a sense of safety during this rocky economy. The leaps I hear of now include some form of security blanket: jumping with a friend or spouse, taking a chance with others like you.
I speak to my mom quite regularly, and more and more frequently, she is telling me how all the things going on in my life hadn’t been on the master plan. They’re unexpected, and the mantra is “We’ll figure this out.”
Every day, you read about others who are experiencing critical losses…financial, material, personal. I don’t pretend to put myself in that same category. But I don’t feel prepared. I did what I was told. I followed the rules. And I’m not prepared.
So how do I feel? I need to keep pulling up my bootstraps. I should be happy to have what I have in my life, doing what I can to maintain a positive attitude. I know that hoping and smiling isn’t going enough to make it to New Year’s, to make it through next Spring, to make it to the years after. But it is a lot easier to do the work of pulling through struggles when you have hope.
How do you feel?
The views expressed in my blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.
Photo from clipart.
Emily, I can relate to your feelings. Although I did not move across the country, I did do "all the right things" and yet I still feel a bit confused about what’s next. I am great at executing on a plan, as you referred to as “Get into a prestigious university. Check. Graduate with a degree. Check. Move out of the nest. Get a job. Check, check.” But now that plan is done and it is up to me to decide what is next. That is something new for me. I guess now is the true test to see for myself how much I want success.
I know you, and I know you will continue to be successful!
Thanks Amanda! I know we've talked about the "life plans" before, and for me, there's been a struggle among what is expected, what I want, and what is reality. We all know that things don't always go according to plan, but I'm ready to see some back ups that weren't there a few years ago. Just like economists are changing their tune about preparing for worst-case scenarios, I'm wondering what the new tune of young people in the world is going to sound like.
How do I feel about all this right now? I would like to admit feeling frustrated. But I know that's not true all the time. It's a struggle I'm dealing with on a daily basis and after 10 months, I know I'm getting better. Inspite of sticking to 'the plan' (Good college, MBA, great experience, ensuring constant learning via volunteering and project work), I never really thought I'd be out of a real job for this long. Like you, I wasn't prepared. Nobody was. The realization and wisdom of knowing life is too short to waste over moping on unfulfilled plans is slowly seeping in and I'm finally seeing the bigger picture:
1. Not getting a job is not the most devastating thing in the world
2. Your self worth does not depend on where you work or whether or not you bring any money home
3. Faith is EVERYTHING!
So far, I'm working with these 3 thoughts to get through each day.
And I agree with Amanda – you will get where you want to be soon. I know so!
Keep writing… 🙂