How Did I Even Get Here?



Hope that everyone had a wonderful start to the new year! We had some out of town visitors so we celebrated with snacks and champagne at our apartment. Some dear friends stopped by, and it was a great night.

My 26th birthday is coming up. I think that I will still technically be in my mid-twenties, but I feel like I am closer to my late twenties. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I have a good job and a retirement fund? Maybe because I watch housing prices in Chicago and look at them like investment funds, not like dream homes? Maybe because S and I talk about children's names, as well as the time and cost of adding a second greyhound to our household? Or maybe just because I've always been a little bit more "mature" for my age? 

Relax, this is not the year that we buy a house/condo/apartment. This is also not the year that we plan to have children. Maybe it's the year we decide to adopt another greyhound (maybe...). This is just the year that we start to talk about these things more seriously and the financial burden of each next step. Before, we would dreamily discuss names for girls like Mathilde and the beautiful house that we'd have. Now, we talk about what we can afford, what it's value will be in 5-10 years, and what names will honor our families. A few years, and things have definitely changed, but we are still on the same page, turning together, every year.

A little while back, I shared a story about how a tarot card reading predicted [or inspired me to make] the move to Chicago for an incredible job. The thing is... when I was in college still, we had to pick our "dream job." Back then I would see my new museum in event magazines, and to me it was always a museum that was dominating the events world, as well as the natural history world. I chose to write my "dream job" essay on this particular museum being my dream job, and one of the parts of the assignment was to interview two people from the organization. Back then, I interviewed someone who is now my boss. When my museum had a job opening in the events department, I applied, and followed up by reaching out to my contact, wondering if she remembered me. I wanted more than anything to work there, so putting my name out there with an out-of-the-blue email was a small task that I was willing to do.

These days, friends and acquaintances are asking me (ME!) for career advice. I only know how I achieved my own success, and it's honestly just by working hard and working at something I love (events, museums, non-profits, science and natural history, etc.). I volunteered for events that I had no experience in, just to gain experience (conferences, music festivals, etc.). And I always had a goal, something to work hard toward. Even if my goal was as simple as getting really good at my current position, it was enough to inspire me to always work hard. It makes me proud of myself for how far I've come when I think about it; the fact that others are seeking me out to help guide them.

But honestly, I still haven't figured everything out. Recently, I've reached out to some friends (Jennipho + The Gather House) to seek their guidance on something new I want to try. (Hint: see that new menu option at the top of this page?) This year, my new years resolution is to listen more, especially to my friends who I can learn from too. There's always something to learn if you listen hard enough.

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