I feel you, Wendy; and I'm pretty sure a majority of my generation feels the exact same way. Everyone has a different situation, but I definitely have a nice life. Yes, I go to school full-time, and work in the mornings. But I have weekends off, live in my sorority house where rent is definitely nothing compared to living in an apartment and paying all sorts of bills, and my biggest worry is stressing about school. However, this past week, I realized that I am growing up and it's time to start getting serious. I recently accepted my first internship for a congressional campaign, put in my 2-week notice at my job I've worked at for the past 2 1/2 years, and accepted a part-time job for the weekends. I cried when I gave my boss my 2-week notice. I work in a very small department on campus and we honestly became like family. Even though it was tough, I had to let go of my job because I need my mornings for my internship, and I had to give up my weekends for a different job because I still have bills to pay. It has started: I am growing up. It is scary, but thrilling. It's those sort of decisions that you have to start making: decisions that have an impact. So if you are going through this weird time of finally making grown up decisions, here's my advice to you.
1.) ACCEPTANCE: Accept the chaos, the change, the unknown, and the freedom of it all. There's no point in fighting it because it's going to happen. All you can do is recognize the fact that your life is changing and to go with the flow. Accepting change is a good quality; might as well start practicing because our 20's is the craziest period of time when we'll go through the most change.
2.) BE SELFISH: As I stated above, you have a certain amount of freedom. I have no kids, am not married, and do not really have any type of attachments (unless you count student loans). I really have nothing holding me back and this is my time to be selfish. BE SELFISH! Make a decision that will benefit you, and only you. Think about "how can this internship make me into a better professional?" Or "is this current job the right move for me?" Start asking yourself those type of questions because this your time to start molding yourself into the person you want to be. You want to do that before you add a spouse or children to the picture.
3.) TALK IT OUT: I accepted my first internship this past Friday, but I actually had 3 different offers for internships that day. It was definitely a rewarding and overwhelming feeling! My biggest piece of advice is to wait, breathe, and step away from the situation. I was overwhelmed and knew I needed to discuss this with someone before I made any decisions. So, I said "Thank you for this opportunity! If you could please give me this weekend to look at my options and I will definitely get back to you first thing Monday morning?" I had to talk with my parents first! My parents are my everything and I value their opinion most. I then talked with mentor Saturday afternoon. Sometimes you need to talk it out before you make any rash decisions. You can't make a rational decision with all sorts of thoughts bouncing around in your head. Step away and analyze the situation first.
4.) HAVE A GOOD CRY: Ok, I don't mean literally cry. For me, when I get overwhelmed, stressed, angry, happy, or feel emotions on a extreme level, I cry. Silly? Maybe! I don't have a full on meltdown. I just let some tears go to release that stream. What I am saying is, go do something that releases stress. Go for a walk, a bike-ride, get some frozen yogurt with friends, etc. This is a stressful time and it's ok to feel a little stressed sometimes. We're only human after all.
Growing up is scary. It's time to start making decisions that will have an impact on our lives. But don't be afraid to make decisions! Accept this crazy time, focus on yourself, discuss your options with trusted loved ones, and if you feel like going crazy, let your emotions out in a healthy manner. Any tips for those going through this experience? How do you handle making "grown-up" decisions? Leave a comment or contact me! Until next time....
~Selina
1.) ACCEPTANCE: Accept the chaos, the change, the unknown, and the freedom of it all. There's no point in fighting it because it's going to happen. All you can do is recognize the fact that your life is changing and to go with the flow. Accepting change is a good quality; might as well start practicing because our 20's is the craziest period of time when we'll go through the most change.
2.) BE SELFISH: As I stated above, you have a certain amount of freedom. I have no kids, am not married, and do not really have any type of attachments (unless you count student loans). I really have nothing holding me back and this is my time to be selfish. BE SELFISH! Make a decision that will benefit you, and only you. Think about "how can this internship make me into a better professional?" Or "is this current job the right move for me?" Start asking yourself those type of questions because this your time to start molding yourself into the person you want to be. You want to do that before you add a spouse or children to the picture.
3.) TALK IT OUT: I accepted my first internship this past Friday, but I actually had 3 different offers for internships that day. It was definitely a rewarding and overwhelming feeling! My biggest piece of advice is to wait, breathe, and step away from the situation. I was overwhelmed and knew I needed to discuss this with someone before I made any decisions. So, I said "Thank you for this opportunity! If you could please give me this weekend to look at my options and I will definitely get back to you first thing Monday morning?" I had to talk with my parents first! My parents are my everything and I value their opinion most. I then talked with mentor Saturday afternoon. Sometimes you need to talk it out before you make any rash decisions. You can't make a rational decision with all sorts of thoughts bouncing around in your head. Step away and analyze the situation first.
4.) HAVE A GOOD CRY: Ok, I don't mean literally cry. For me, when I get overwhelmed, stressed, angry, happy, or feel emotions on a extreme level, I cry. Silly? Maybe! I don't have a full on meltdown. I just let some tears go to release that stream. What I am saying is, go do something that releases stress. Go for a walk, a bike-ride, get some frozen yogurt with friends, etc. This is a stressful time and it's ok to feel a little stressed sometimes. We're only human after all.
Growing up is scary. It's time to start making decisions that will have an impact on our lives. But don't be afraid to make decisions! Accept this crazy time, focus on yourself, discuss your options with trusted loved ones, and if you feel like going crazy, let your emotions out in a healthy manner. Any tips for those going through this experience? How do you handle making "grown-up" decisions? Leave a comment or contact me! Until next time....
~Selina