So the past couple of weeks I feel this pressure to figure out exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.
Where I want to end up when I graduate.
I feel pressure not only from within myself but from people surrounding me.
I am almost positive that I know what I want to do with life, I am confident with myself however there are decisions, choices, lists, and fears of what is to come.
I catch myself waking up in the morning making a list of all the things I should get done for the day.
I feel like I should be able to figure this out in a weeks time.
I fell like I should know exactly what I want to do.....right now. Like. Right. Now. Not in a month or a year but now.
I feel like there is this pressure for me to make up my mind, am I sure I want to keep my major, do I want to switch my major? Do I want to stay in Atlanta....do I want to move somewhere when  I graduate.
When I graduate will I be able to find a job?
I feel like one of those girls who are planning out their wedding and their life with a guy they just met. I feel like I am entering a slippery slope of what-ifs.
What-ifs are one of the most dangerous things. They can cause you to second guess. They are a bit like candy...or a bag of chips once you have one what if there are about 15+ if not more that come after it.

I also feel pressure to just know everything, and not everything scholastically but in regards to life. It's a maze that I yet have not been able to figure out. I am always unsure of what life entails next for me. And somethings that scares me...majorly. I like to be one....or ten steps ahead. So To not know whats coming next and feeling the pressure to figure it out can be a bit overwhelming.

However I don't know that I have to have it figured all out right now, I think thats the joy and magic of life you never know what turns and twists life is going to take.
You just have to jump on the crazy ride and see what twists and turns life gives. You never know truly where you are going to end up, so enjoy life and try to do what you love...I am guessing thats what really makes the difference.

Do you feel pressure to have it all figured out?  What do you do to realize you don't have to have it all figured out right now?

When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure.

-Peter Marshall 

Keep Calm and Carry On.
xox
Melissa

A Greater Reward Comes From a Greater Risk.

Risks...there are levels of risks that you can take. You can take a small risk however usually in return you will receive a small reward.

Sometimes you just have to jump off of the cliff and pray that all turns out okay.
Sometimes you have to have faith in yourself that at the end of the day you made the right decision.
Whether the risk be illegal like speeding and getting a ticket.
Maybe its a really good risk like going out on a date with this guy you have had your eye on but you're really nervous.
I have been taking risks recently, I have been trying to see what life is really about.
..Not that I will ever figure that out anyways. However, it's a good dream that one day I will know what this whole life thing is really about.

Sometimes risks cause us to fall down, we fall hard. And we learn something from the reward. We learn as we fall we have to get back up...and in the process of getting back up we are able to learn more about life, we are able to become stronger people.

An example from my life recently was wondering if I should take this internship that was a gift practically. I was weighing all of my pros and cons and in the end there were more pros than cons...of course the cons were evident and they were kind of a bummer...however the risk was going to provide me with a greater reward which was I was going to be able to take two steps forward after I finished the internship. And I would be bettering myself. It seemed in the end like the perfect opportunity. Of course at the time it was up in the air whether or not I'd get the internship. I still had to go through the interview process.

I prepared for the interview, found out as much about the company as I could, picked out the perfect outfit, had two practice interviews with friends. I made sure I was ready, and I was nervous, oh yes, I was very nervous but I was also prepared and confident. What an odd combination of emotions when you think about it, however it made sense to me.

At the end of the day...I got the internship, the risk was great but the reward was just as great. I could not be happier. I took a risk that I was unsure of, I made different plans, I changed my views and I took the risk.
I could not be happier with my decision. While there will always be cons....at the end of the day the pros outweigh the cons.

So take risks, jump off of a hypothetical mountain and see where you land, sometimes the risks are what better us as people.

Do you take risks? Have you had good and bad risks?

Keep Calm and Carry On
xoxo
Melissa

"When I was in elementary school, I was pretty sure that eighth grade meant adulthood. The eighth graders were the oldest kids in the school, and their classroom was down a long hallway. I pictured the hallway as a golden path to the future. I was sure the eighth graders had it all figured out. Later, I extended that to the high school seniors, then the college seniors, then, people who were 25. Now, finally, I can see that there is no moment in life when it all makes sense. Nor is there any real marker that someone DOES know what the fuck's going on -- an engagement or a house does not mean that someone feels complete and content. At 27, I can talk to my parents and see that while they've done a lot of amazing things with their lives, there are still doubts and insecurities that they're holding on to and trying to make sense of. Answers don't come with age. Age provides perspective, but life wasn't designed with a point at which it definitively gets easier. It's up and down, all the time for everyone. We're just doing our best, all of us, and that's ok."
--Five Things I Know at 27