Loving My Journey

By Katie

I AM EMPOWERED AND POISED BECAUSE I AM LEARNING TO LOVE MY JOURNEY.  

I often find myself wishing I was in another city, working another job, or having life experiences I see my friends having.  It feels like I keep waiting for my life to start.

Ever since I was in high school, I remember being upset because I had stricter parents than my friends.  I remember wishing I was older and had more freedom to go where I wanted and do what I wanted to do with my friends.  

Fast forward to college.  I loved the newfound freedom I had.  I could stay out late if I wanted and be with my friends all the time.  Even though I got what I wanted when I was in high school I realized I wanted something new.  I wanted my life to be put together. I wanted to be ready for the future. I saw my friends preparing to be doctors, nurses, teachers, and business professionals and I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up.  My new wish was to have my future figured out and have a plan like I thought everyone else had.

Now we catch up to where I am today.  I graduated and found a job that I went to school for, but I find myself wishing I was having the experiences my friends were having.  My friends were off vacationing in Italy or exploring Iceland. They were living in exciting cities where there is something new to do every second. They were living with their friends and having new experiences.  I see them having these great times on social media and I find myself downplaying my experiences and my situation because it isn’t the same.

Feeling inadequate or wishing you were somewhere or someone else is something that can make you feel like your life hasn’t started yet.  It is great to set goals and be ambitious, but if you aren’t living in the moment you will let life pass you by. You won’t see the good that is happening and you won’t appreciate your own individual experiences.  Thinking back I realize I am grateful that my parents were strict. They taught me to be safe and have a good moral compass. I am grateful that I didn’t know what I wanted to be after college because it gave me the opportunity to explore different careers.  I was able to meet people who didn’t know what they wanted to do either and we supported each other through it. Now I am grateful that I am living back at home in a small town because I can still be with my family before moving. I am able to save money to one day go on a trip that I am excited for.

The future will always be unknown, but if you trust your journey and you are grateful for what you have it’s hard to be stressed about where you will end up.  There will always be the temptation to compare yourself to other people, but everyone has a different journey. You may have a tougher journey, a longer journey, or a short and easy journey for some of your goals. The key is to enjoy that journey because you can miss a lot if you are only thinking about what is next.  Practicing being present and loving where you are in your journey will help you to not just wish for better days, but make every day better.