I think about the speaker at graduation who made us dreamy-eyed with their reading from Dr. Seuss, the iconic “Oh, the places you’ll go.” How inspiring!
But, that’s all I remember from it. Feeling like I’m going to “MOVE MOUNTAINS.” What a great thought — but that story touches on so many other things too.
Depression, loneliness, hardship. Our minds want to skip over that, the not-so-good stuff.
Mine did. I thought, like everyone else, I’m not going to be stuck. I’m going to be great! But stuck was exactly what happened.
If you want to listen to the original.
“Oh, the places you’ll go.”
And oh, the places I went . . .
Yes, for a few days I felt inspired, but that inspiration quickly faded.
When You Feel Like You’ve Been Left in The Dust
The truth was that I became just a little bit jaded.
It wasn’t long before I felt inferior to my peers. They exited the graduation stage, got jobs, got engaged, got married, got promoted, and . . . etc. (Did that sound jarring after I used that rhyme?)
The truth is not everyone gets a head start after college. If you don’t have the esteem or self-assurance, then life is going to be hard!
And it was for me.
To keep things in perspective, I’m still 24 (for a couple more weeks), so I still have SO MUCH TIME. I have my whole life ahead of me!
And if you’re in college now, or a recent grad like me, believe in time. You have lots of it. Just because your peers seem to be successful doesn’t mean you won’t be. Success is not limited.
But that doesn’t mean you can waste time going forward.
I don’t believe my last three years were a loss. They were a consequence of life. A lesson learned.
This is why I don’t beat myself up:
Before I accepted my degree, I was in the middle of a crumbling relationship.
Emotionally, I was running on empty. Mentally, I was beaten down. I had nothing left to give. Yet, months prior, I signed a lease with that person and felt obligated to that agreement. We were going to live together and try to smooth things over.
They didn’t smooth over.
We fought every day for months. I often cried myself to sleep. I felt bullied and weak until the very last day. Our parting was so taxing on me that I threw up all night long. I was so tense that I was nauseous in my sleep. And, my ex didn’t have a “home” to go to, so I was the one to leave our apartment.
With my tail between my legs, I moved back home with my Dad.
But the final humiliation was when my ex got a new girlfriend within days of dumping me. Coincidence? Not a chance.
During all this, I also had an ill-fitting job. While I was emotionally drained from my broken relationship, I was creatively starved at my 9–5. I lived at home for about 8 or 9 months before I finally decided to quit my job and use my time for myself. It sounds selfish, but you won’t accomplish anything worthwhile if you’re broken down and depressed like I was.
Finally, (and it feels like eons have passed, but finally) I feel ready. Ready to be me. And share that with the world. I don’t live at home anymore, by the way. I flew the nest last year and made myself a little home in a city apartment. Woohoo!
Life After College is Not Sunshine and Rainbows
Sometimes life sucks and that period of my life was certainly not gilded.
If you’re in your twenties and things aren’t going as planned, join the club! You can worry all you want, but it won’t get you anywhere.
Rest assured, your time will come too if you have faith in yourself.
If you need the time, take it! Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for it.
If you need a break, that’s fine too. But don’t be ashamed!
And most importantly, don’t give up. Ever.
Because, if you give yourself a chance,
And a chance is all you need,
Will you succeed? Yes, you will, indeed.
98 and 3/4% guaranteed.
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
You’re off to great places. Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!
