This is ridiculous, but not at all surprising.
Wherever You Go, There You Are
Sometimes you just need to breathe in, breathe out, and know that life is happening.
It’s happening, guys!
Mothers
I got to spend some time with my wonderful family today. I feel so lucky to be able to put the word “wonderful” in front of the word “family” because I know that now everybody can.
We gathered together to celebrate Mothers’ Day. I love my mother. Having the woman I do as a mother is one of the luckiest things that has ever happened to me. I love my mother’s mother (my Grani). I love my cousins’ mother (my aunt). Getting the three of them in the same room is always a blast!
My Aunt, Mother, and Grani
Tomorrow, my fiancé, Zach, and I are going to church and lunch with his mother. Adding this lovely lady to my wonderful family is incredibly exciting! How did I get so lucky?! A life with so many outstanding, strong female role models; a completely wonderful family; my fantastic future husband and in-laws. These things on top of my blossoming career.
But I’m digressing– this weekend is not about the baffling amount of blessings that I’ve been given (that’s what life is about). This weekend is about the marvelousness that is my mother.
Myself with my Mother
Internship– Full Circle
It’s hard to believe that this time last year, I was preparing to graduate from college, start my internship, and would shortly get engaged. Now, I have a full-time job, and am a few months away from being married. Time flies!
Today, I got to meet the intern who will be on my program. She’s a super nice girl– only a year younger than me! Talking to her made me realize how quickly I got to where I am now. I’m excited to work with her, and see what the intern group this summer accomplishes! I’m also little jealous that I can’t do their intern stuff with them… oh well!
My boss has established me as the intern’s mentor and trainer. I’m going to get leadership/ management experience, which will really help. But, I’m a little nervous about overseeing another person! I plan on just passing along what I learned during my internship, and emphasizing aspects that helped me get where I am now.
From mentored to mentor, this journey has been interesting. And it’s just getting started! I’m so blessed and can’t wait to see how the future unfolds.
Coyote Alert
My fiancé, Zach, is a super talented artist and designer. He owns his own clothing company and is constantly pursuing his dream of being self-sufficient. His company is doing well, and I couldn’t be more proud of him. The creativity that he exudes is fantastic, and I’m so happy to be able to witness it daily.
Check out his designs— they are definitely worth everyone’s time! You should also “like” his Facebook page!
Patience, patience…
It’s a daily struggle to be satisfied. I don’t want to be complacent, but I’d like to enjoy where I am in my journey as a young professional.
Society has ingrained so many expectations in my mind, and I’ve created more along the way. I’m 22 and I haven’t invented anything—what’s wrong with me? I’m not a millionaire? Why?
Realistically, I don’t expect to have become an inventor or millionaire by now, nor do I necessarily expect it in my lifetime. But, I do expect to be close. I have so many goals, and (for some strange reason) I keep developing more, which leaves me swimming in a pool of impatience. I need to be doing more in order to success. But I already do so much.
So, in order to subdue my impatience, I’ve started making a timeline. It’s not a clean, straightly-lined timeline. It looks more like a web (I’ll post a picture once I’ve finished).
I started by making a list of everything that I have accomplished thus far. It was a much needed ego boost, and helped me assess what I needed to do moving forward. Then, I made a list of my big goals– the kind of goals that take years to accomplish. Now, I’m connecting the two lists. Instead of being frustrated and impatient because I’m not close enough to my big goals, I’m creating an action plan. I’m not a millionaire? How can I get closer to reaching that status? Not all goals are about money, but money does affect most goals (sadly).
Mapping our my professional career has helped calm me down. I can see now how my goals can be accomplished. I realize that all steps leading to the big goals might not happen the way that I have written them, but for now, I’ll try to be patient. If necessary, I can always make another list!
Time of the Season
It’s the time of the season for loving!
Wedding season!
At the end of April, my cousin (who also happens to be one of the most awesome people in the world) got married to the love of her life! It was so exciting and happy. Of course, since I am engaged, I was even more excited. I could see the joy in her eyes and knew that I would have the same feeling in just a few months.
About a week ago, one of my best friends (and bridesmaid) got engaged! So much love!
I know that this time of hear is typically dubbed “wedding season,” but I fee like that has to do more with the lovely weather and more vacation time. Nevertheless, it’s the season of love, and I can’t wait for my big day!
Financial Planning (For the Win!)
So, I listen to Cosmo Radio on Sirius XM. I know, I know—don’t judge too hard. One my morning commute, I get to hear Wake up with Taylor. It features a delightfully silly duo (Taylor and Kenny). They interview people, talk about topics from Cosmopolitan Magazine, and crack each other up; thus, they crack me up. On the commute home, I listen to Cocktails with Patrick. It’s Cosmo’s look “inside the male mind,” which, as it turn out, is also hilarious. I love these shows. I’m a little obsessed.
One the way to work this morning, Taylor and Kenny interviewed a lady who owns a financial planning website. The lady and the website aren’t entirely pertinent to the story, so I won’t fill the whole post with free advertisements.
The conversation with this woman was pretty invigorating. They discussed credit card debt, and planning for your financial future. I’m at a pretty critical point in my life (regarding financial planning… and… everything else), so this conversation really inspired me. So, during my lunch break, I broke down my financial goals and started a plan.
I feel like a lot of 20somethings disregard the importance of any sort of planning early on in their professional career. So, I put myself on my way to being debt-free, which will inevitably make life more bearable.
Next up is creating a joint financial plan for myself and my fiancé.
My Fiance and me
Growing up is fun.
Sprinting a 5K
Project-based marketing is the fast-paced, more discombobulated sibling to continuity marketing. With continuity, life is more certain. You have a client, they are your client for at least a year, and you have time to develop a super smooth way of working.
Project-based programs tend to last one quarter. You have to get to know your client more quickly and there is a shorter learning curve. It is a sprint, and continuity is a marathon. Both are difficult in their own ways. However, when your project-based program gets multiple, back-to-back extensions, it can feel like sprinting a whole 5K (granted, I could neber literally sprint for that long…oy!).
Being a young professional on a project-based program has been a blessing in disguise. It’s stressful—job security is less than if I were on a continuity program. Deadlines are imminent and constantly approaching. The silver lining is that I have had to work harder and learn faster than I would have had to if I were on a continuity program.
I’m the only person doing operations on a multi-million dollar program. And the program keeps getting extensions. The fast-paced nature makes me think on my toes. I’ve had to learn how to do so much more than if I were on a multi-person operations team. I’m not bragging. It’s been crazy hectic. But I’ve benefited so much!
Looking from an etic perspective at what I’ve been doing since graduation is what keeps me grounded. Sometimes I might feel overwhelmed and frantic, but I can see the pay-off. The success I dream of is on the horizon, and I’m taking the right path to get there.
Look at what you’re doing at your job: it’s leading you somewhere.
Career Advice for Overachievers
Career Advice for Overachievers
I can relate to this– can you?
