When I was about to graduate from college and embark on the real world, my mom told me that there is no wrong path to take. Opportunities will present themselves, and it’s up to you to choose what you want to do. No more being told what to do, it’s completely up to you. Talk about adulting!
So here we are, deciding what job to take, what city to live in; you may be questioning what right choice is for you. You always want to make a smart, financial decision. However, the ultimate choice will be based off of going with your gut.
Your gut will never steer you wrong. When you’re in a situation and you start feeling uncomfortable and want to leave – that’s your gut telling you to get out of there. When you find that person who makes you feel on top of the world, complete, and safe – that’s your gut telling you that you’re falling in love. Listen to it and learn from it.
I know we have all been in situations where our gut is telling us one thing, but we may be wanting the opposite. How did that situation work out for you? How can we improve from that situation? What can we learn? Even if we do go down the wrong road, it’s not too late to turn it back around. Life is full of second chances.
I went to college and majored in Fashion, minored in Business Administration. Go Spartans! I came out of college and dove right into the fashion textile world. I learned a whole lot; I learned the many steps from sourcing a fabric to supply chain management to giving the buyer samples, and placing the end product on the shelves at popular retailers (obviously many more steps in between). While I enjoyed the industry I was in, I felt as if there was something missing. I would catch myself in the marketing department talking to the coordinators and graphic designers. Their part within the company was very interesting to me (since I did have a love for Marketing/Business since high school) and I slowly started to realize that I may be more of a Marketer than a Merchandiser.
At that point I had a decision to make: Do I continue with Merchandising? Do I go back to school for Graphic Design? Do I try my best to jump into the Marketing world? These were my options and my different paths I could take. And as my Mom said, there was no wrong choice. To break it all down, I thought of the following: What do I love? What makes me happy? What am I passionate about? …and of course, What is my gut telling me?
My gut told me to revamp my resume and try to make it into the Marketing world. Here I am, 8 months later, sitting at my desk as a Content Marketing Specialist working for an awesome advertising agency.
Now let me say, I’m still passionate about fashion. I wouldn’t have majored in it if I wasn’t. I keep up with the industry and maintain my blog. I don’t know what I would do with my blog. It has become a part of me and a way to express my love for fashion. I have been able to choose a life that creates a balance of what I love and what I’m passionate about. It’s not an overnight process. I’m finally where I believe I should be in life and it took me two years to figure it all out. I’m sure a few years from now, I’ll be at a new spot in life deciding what path to take.
It’s okay to start down one path, because in that moment you believed 100% it was the right choice, and then start to change your mind. It’s called growing. As we grow, we realize what is important to us.
Here’s an example of how I re-defined my priorities:
I met my boyfriend the semester before I graduated. Before meeting him, I had plans to move to a big city and become all about my job. I had worked so hard in school, so all I wanted was to put that work and energy into building my career… with no boys in the picture. I did not need distractions. The thing I didn’t take into consideration is that you can’t really control when you meet “the one.” It happens randomly, and at the best time. After college, I got an internship in the same city as my boyfriend. Half way through my internship I started thinking, what’s next for me? What’s next for us? Where do I see myself? I had this intuition that said to stay. I know a lot of couples that have done long distance relationships, some have worked out and some not so much. You have to do what is best for you, because everyone is different. Did I want to take the risk of having this relationship not work? I decided to stay because I didn’t want the chance of anything to tear us a part, especially at the beginning stages. I listened to my gut and it was the best decision I have made to this day. I could have easily left and got a great job, but I chose to focus my life on what’s important to me, and that’s relationships. Jobs come and go, but the relationships you build are too precious to let go if you care about them.
When I look back in life, I don’t want to be known as the girl with the great job, or the girl who is worth a certain amount of money; I want to be known as the girl who is kind, helpful, and lovely to be around. I want to be known for my character more than my achievements. Achievements are things everyone should strive for, including me. I still want to build my career and do well in life. The only thing that has changed has been my priorities.
No matter what you decide your priorities are, following your intuition will lead you to what is important to you.
Focus on today and what makes you happy. When the milestones in life come at you and you have to choose which way to go, just listen to your intuition. Dig deep and find your passions.
