Its a whole new conversation

I've always heard that if you want to be taken seriously, then you should dress like it. I found out first hand that is true! Now that this professional stage of life has taken over, it's like I get approached in a totally different manor. 

For example, I went to Florida this past week for a business trip. Sitting in the airport, I had all my business stuff and was trying to be proactive and read important new articles just incase someone important asked me about current events. Now this is not what strangers normally see when they first meet me. However, because I was asked to upgrade from my 'free t-shirts and yoga pants just to enforce that I had no upcoming professional engagements' look, adults are suddenly treating me like I have joined their pack. I am not longer the college kid executives judge or wish they could be to relive the glory days. I may even to venture to say that I am their peer or equal. But back to the airport, I sat next to two gentlemen who were traveling for the national guard. Naturally, I want to hear all about the things they get to do and the cool toys they get to play with. So after becoming totally jealous of their passport stamps and thankful they are willing to do all that for people like me, the conversation turned toward me. I'm use to people asking where I'm going to school or what friends I'm going to visit because I'm much younger than the average business person. I mean the day I graduated from college, a lady asked me what I was planning to do after high school (still trying to take it as a complement rather than an statement of immaturity). Obviously I look like I'm still 18. These guys asked me about my business trip, who I was going to meet with, what industry I was in. They never mentioned school. Instead of asking me about classes, I was asked about my family. Was I married? Did I have kids? Did I want to see all their kids and new born grandkids? Now this may be a normal occurrence for some people, but no stranger has ever showed me their family pictures until recently. Every person I sat next to would whip out their phone and scroll through memory lane as I watch cute babies and random faces pause in front of me. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing a joy of people as they get to brag about the new family additions they are getting, but I was so taken back by people's willingness to share their lives with me, I couldn't do much else but exaggerate my excitement and egg on the slideshows. 

Now I still feel like I am playing dress-up everyday when I get ready to head off to my office. It is going to take me a long time for the fact that I am a adult to set in. But I think it's the little reminders, like airport conversations, that will slowly encourage me to accept my new reality. Let the adventure continue. 

Do what you love

Every person handles extreme life changes differently. They can either be overflowing with joy because of the new opportunities and great advances they have made, or they can be burdened by fear of what’s to come and depressed because of all the changing details. Now I’m not here to judge people who don’t like handling big life changes because I totally understand the mentality. I tend to shut down when big decisions I have never made before present themselves. However, it is not what happened in your initial reactions that determines the outcome, but what step you take after the shock wears off.

One of the biggest decisions I ever made was picking what I wanted to do with my life after graduation. And let me tell you, I was acting like a fish out of water with the flailing around and hyperventilating. There was so much pressure to be at the right firm, the right city, the right career. It’s like I thought one bad decision would cause the world to tip right over in space and then people would start walking on their hands. Let me make this clear, nothing I can do will cause the world to fall over. Although sometimes I like to think I have a lot of power and control, reality always hits and I don’t.

From my self-induced traumatic decision-making experience, I learned a few tricks that calmed the anxiety. I asked myself one questions. What would I do with my life if money were no object? Everything is too centered on gaining power, which comes from gaining money and influence that this kind of stopped my train of thought and made me take a different approach. I examined my motives, what drives me to do things, my desires, what sets my goals, and my happiness, what brings me the most joy. Warning, if you have no desire to gain happiness in life, you should probably just stop reading now. I want to do something that I am going to love doing. There is no way that I can excel in an area if I absolutely hate every part of it. It’s better to have a short life doing what you love than a long life doing what you hate. If you need an example, brace yourself for a look into how my brain works.

Brain: What would I do with my life if money were no object?
Christy: I would help people enjoy their life and embrace happiness
Brain: How are you going to do that?
Christy: I am going to prevent stress to increase happiness
Brain: What stresses people?
Christy: Marriage and money
Brain: So what will cure this stress?
Christy: Well, since 55% of people who get married end up getting divorced, and the main reason for divorce is money issues, I am going to help people with their money in order to save their marriage.
Brain: Someone’s over ambitious…

Now obviously I know I am only one person. I know that I cannot possibly change the entire world’s population to be a happier people. I know that I can’t fix every marriage. However, I also know that if I can just help one person, then I have fulfilled my goal. I am not dreaming of changing the world, that’s God’s job. But if I can simply do what I enjoy doing, start accomplishing my dreams, and helping one person at a time, then I know there is absolutely no way the world will remain unchanged. Basically, God is going to change the world (I have no doubt), and God gave me very specific gifts and talents, and I think that if I start using my talents, then the world will change.

Now your dreams may be a tad smaller in scale to mine, or they could be way bigger, either way, doing what you love is the only way to excel in the real world. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, you will burn out very quickly and the people working with you will experience a taste of the flames. So for everyone’s sake, figure out what you want to do and then do it!