Life is funny, and not in the slap your knee way. The longer you live, the more lessons you learn and wisdom you gain. As you get older, tough trials gradually get easier to deal with since you become more knowledgeable about who you are and the world around you. Everything we experience helps us step into exactly who we’re meant to be. 

Our mindset shapes the way we see the world. It determines how we address new challenges, improve in areas where we fall short, and even interact with our loved ones. Sometimes if you’re going into a situation with preconceived negative thoughts, it can really close you off to truly experiencing something with pure intentions. 

Sometimes we don’t give things a true chance simply because we indulge in bad faith arguments. It’s easy to make plenty of excuses and justify reasons to say no. While it’s incredibly difficult and definitely depends on the situation, generally speaking it’s best to go into new things with positive intent. You never know what will happen if you give situations and people the benefit of the doubt, within reason of course. There’s a fine balance between being cautious and being too scared to act. Sometimes, it’s important to step out on a limb and try something new.

We’re always so focused on the right here, right now that we sometimes forget to look back and admire just how far we’ve come. It’s crazy to think that just 5 years ago, I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed sophomore in college trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. It feels like that era was eons ago even though in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn’t. 

Fast forward to now, and I’m doing things I couldn’t have ever imagined back then. I would’ve never guessed I’d be married with two dogs by now. I also never thought I’d have my own small business, publishing a weekly blog, and working for an IT company. While you could definitely argue that I’m still trying to figure out what I’m doing with my life, I can at least say I understand more of what I want and don’t want in my world. 

It’s also crazy to see the transition of relationships across that time period. The people I consider myself closest to now, are completely different from the people I spent most of my time with 5 years ago. It’s absolutely true that with each new chapter in our life, comes new friends, new challenges, new loved ones, and new positive experiences. 

Of course, I’d be remiss not to mention the loss that often comes with starting new chapters. Life change not only means the influx of new norms, but of personal growth as well. Graduation is one of the starkest changes that most young people go through simply because it’s so definite. High school graduation typically marks the end of your adolescence. Shortly after the party is over, you usually leave your family to embark on your college journey. 

Amongst the many sleepless nights, the endless assignments, and the ridiculous tests, college tends to be the initial steps to true adulthood. We get our first taste of freedom, which forces us to develop discipline, organization, and responsibility. We have to start paying attention to our finances to ensure we don’t starve and we even meet our spouses, future co-workers, and lifelong best friends. 

College graduation is a whole other type of beast that has such an impact on many young people. There’s uncertainty around securing a job that stares a lot of students in the face. Most of your friends move away from the centralized location where you attended school together. Oftentimes, life circumstances cause you to never see some of the people you used to hold near and dear to your heart. 

And that’s okay. With each new level in life, comes different responsibilities. A single woman in her late 20’s lives a completely different life than I do and vice versa. Most of the time, the closest people to you are the people you share a lot in common with. Your nuclear family and co-workers are the two groups you see most often, followed by your extended family members since you see them for birthdays, holidays, and random get togethers. Next would be your friends that live close to you, and finally your friends who moved far away. A lot of the time, the friends who move farthest away, were actually our favorite people to be around.

Dealing with the distance is definitely an adjustment, but it’s not impossible, especially with the aid of social media and technology. One of my friends is currently all the way in Japan and I’m truly thankful that I can still keep in touch with her just by sending a simple text message. Same deal for my family, who currently live 3 hours away from me. It brings me comfort knowing they are just a phone call away. 

As graduation season marches closer and closer, it’s important to keep your attitude and perception in check. It’s a rather stressful time balancing finals, family, and festivities, but it’s also an amazing accomplishment that shouldn’t be taken for granted. For some, college will forever hold the best memories of their life. For others, college was just a speed bump on their life path to bigger and better things. 

While college definitely tested me in many ways, I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything. I met my amazing husband, helped plan some fun and informative programs for my residence hall, and learned some skills that continue to help me as I go forward into the future. I hope to continue making that young, naive girl from 5 years ago proud of my current decisions and actions as I embrace new life hurdles. 

If you enjoyed this episode, let me know by giving this video a thumbs up, leaving a comment, and subscribing to my channel. I’ll see you in the next episode! 

Signed, 

Jessica Marie