2011 has been an interesting year. Within the span of the year, I’m gone from living at home, working full time and making a 1 hour commute to work each time, to being a graduate student in a city I’m not familiar with, finishing up my first semester, 400 miles away. There have been many challenges, love, growth, and self-evaluation; and I wonder if other years in my life have been like this.
There are a lot of firsts for me. I am going to graduate school, being the first in my family to work towards a higher degree. I’m also the first in my family to go to Europe, when I volunteered in Italy for two weeks building straw bale houses. I’m living in San Jose, which is a whole new environment – restarting with all the basics of finding where the closest grocery store, gym, coffee shop, and gas station are.
My approach to these new opportunities are also more mature. Understanding that my time in school is precious, I’ve definitely been doing what I can to make the most of my time here. Things seem nonstop, even though being unemployed offers a lot of free time. It’s a strange dichotomy really, to have so much time for you to structure at your choosing.
So what have I learned as I’ve grown older?
My views on my abilities have been more realistic. Do I think I will be changing the world? Not necessarily. My dreams have narrowed into scope, and as I gain more experiences, I’ve pinpointed my objectives.
Your physical health and your friends, loved ones, and family need to be a priority.
I learned to value the in-between, the trips in life as well as the pauses between them. In meditation, you concentrate both on your breaths, and the stillness in-between each.
Passion is the key to everything. If you’re not passionate, you are not going to make that extra step in pursuing what you want. It really isn’t just something nice to say, without passion, you’re just doing injustice to yourself.
Life is made up of many small steps and a few big leaps. You will always look for, expect, or fear the leaps, but the build up of those moments do not compare to the magnitude of little steps you’ve made to where you want to do.
Love yourself, whether you feel that you deserve it or not, love yourself. Always love yourself.
I feel like the next stage in life is always around the corner. Life truly does feel like chapters in your novel.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I can definitely relate! Keep it up, Suj!
thanks Vince!