The holiday season is in full swing and as the New Year approaches, I feel it's an appropriate time for some self-reflection especially since I've been gone for almost half the year...
As my final year of college was coming to a close, I could feel the pressure building up. In my classes I could see people on LinkedIn searching for jobs, updating their job resumes, and tailoring multiple cover letters for their applications. People were publicly sharing the good news of their next steps and future plans. I was commenting congratulations on engagement announcements, pregnancy news, successful job offers, cross country moves, graduate school acceptances, and more. Truly a time for celebration! And as people were going around talking about what their plans were for after graduation, I found myself without an answer. "I don't really have a plan yet, I'm just gunna go where life takes me," I said. Part of that was true, I didn't have a plan for finding a full-time job yet, but part of me did have a plan. It had been 5 years since my last visit, I wanted to visit the Philippines again. And that was the extent of my post-grad plan, to go abroad to see my grandparents.
It was scary. For the first time maybe ever, I had no plan. Not even the slightest idea of what I was going to do. I just knew that I wasn't ready to commit to a full-time job yet and I was going to stand by my decision. And to my surprise, many people actually supported it. Some of my coworkers endorsed the idea of taking time off while I could because once I started working, it would be really difficult to take time off for vacation. And luckily, my parents were on board with me taking some time off to just chill and travel. So that's what I did. I went to the Philippines in July expecting to stay for a month, and after extending my vacation again and again, I ended up staying abroad for 5 months total.
These past 5 months have taught me more lessons than I expected to learn. Although I was on vacation, it wasn't all rest & relaxation. There were still challenges to overcome and change to adjust to. But that's life am I right? There are ups and downs to everything. But with that said, I have grown more in these past 5 months abroad than I have in maybe the past 5 years. I feel like a completely different person (in the best way possible). Someone stronger, more adventurous, more independent, more mature, and less scared of the future. These past 5 months provided me with a strong foundation for what I hope will be a new beginning, perfect with the New Year and new decade coming around.
A lesson I learned is sometimes being lost or unsure leads to the greatest adventures. I don't always need to have a plan. And even if I do, it won't always go according to it. Taking time off to travel was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. All of the sacrifices I made in choosing to stay abroad for as long as I did, were worth it. Who else can say that they spent 5 months abroad right out of college?
Before, I said "I am going where life takes me" with hesitation and fear. Now, I scream it at the top of my lungs: "I am not afraid. I am ready to take on whatever life has to throw at me, and go wherever life ends up taking me. Bring it on."
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