The tree with multiple figs.

Your twenties are made up of ‘trial and error’. I look at this as life’s way of removing the training wheels that we had become accustom to. Just the other day two of my Uni friends got married and another has moved across the country to teach English in India. And when I asked them how they are coping, they said they had never expected to be were they are 12 months ago. I completely understood where they were coming from. This year has been a year of much needed refection; I have figured out pieces of myself I never knew I had within me. There comes a point in one’s life were you come to a million and one crossroads. This could be in what you choose as a career path, or in friendships, job offers and even who you chose to love.

 

Being a 20 something, I have endured this… rather still enduring this. This stage is not easy; it is stressful and overall feels like a quarter life crisis. You have a number of options after graduation, and this is the beautiful part of being a graduate. Literally the world really is your oyster. But then it happens. The options keep multiplying and you want a piece of almost of all of them, you don’t want to just pick one. You then get overwhelmed and start second guessing your decision making. You get stuck on the question of “which”. Which one should I choose? Which has the best out come? Which will pay off more in the long run? You end up asking so many ‘which’ questions and you up remaining in this state of confusion for more than you had anticipated… you linger; you say you are “just buying time”….making sure you make the “right” decision.  But what happens when you wake from this state and your lucidness kicks in. Only to find that the options you once had are not options anymore; they are now struggles because you now have to ‘struggle’ to get that book/ record deal/ business up and off the ground. But this is now an even harder thing to do because you now have a lot more competition than you did 5 years ago.

I believe our subconscious has a brain of its own. It speaks to us and sometimes we choose to ignore it. That little voice in your head telling you “to do it now; choose a path ad go with it”.  So take some time out by yourself, with nothing but your thoughts and reflect o what your ext best alternative is. Do not put it off cause that might be your once in a lifetime open window, I bid you to my earthlings.

How scary is Change?

Working in retail has always been okay while at University but what happens when you have graduated and four or so months later you are still working the same student retail job that you promised yourself you would leave after you graduate. I know, life gives you a reality check! When working a student job while at university, it gives you a perspective of how things work in the real world. You have to juggle University (and the course work that comes with it), work and try to have a social + family life. Working while at university gives you a glimpse into what is called “Work-life balance”. It gives you a taste of what to expect when you eventually jump-start your career. I think every student should experience this while at university, it is one of the very important parts of growing. However, it is not always what is expected to happen. On some occasions graduates do not always find jobs right away and this can cause you to stay at a supposed “Uni-Job” longer than you anticipated.

Working in retail has had its ups and downs and I have  never taken any of what I  have learnt there for granted but after 11 months I felt like my learning experience had come to a stand still. I was not growing, rather I was procrastinating; buying time. I was around amazing people both customers and work colleagues who come from different backgrounds and had so much personality. In the beginning, it was a good way to spend my 23 hours a week when I was off from Uni. However after a while it started to feel like I was in a recurring movie that was put on pause when I got off from work and un-paused when I got back in the next day. The same 6 songs playing all day, week or even months; on repeat EVERY…DAY. It felt like I was in a Twilight zone; coming in to do the same exact task I did yesterday and the day before yesterday, and the day before that. I was not growing; and after a while one can get comfortable with that. I have heard stories of people who have worked in retail for 20 plus years and maybe for some it is their career path but others just get comfortable. Comfortable with the salary that they get at the end of the month, comfortable with the people they work with, comfortable with the life they have made. They might not necessarily be happy but they are comfortable; they say, “I do not want to make any drastic changes before Christmas” which turn into, “I am saving up to move to another city“. There is always a reason not to change, not to evolve; they do not want to rock the boat. So 1 year turns to 3, 3 years turn to 5, 5 years turn to 8 and before they know it they have been there for 15 years! This is does not necessary have to be a retail job, it might be any job that was never intended to be your career path. 

We humans are creatures of habit, this is not necessarily a good or bad thing; depending of course. However we are not robots either so doing the same thing day in and out can pretty much drive you crazy; especially if it is something you do not enjoy doing. Studies show that most people who resist change are afraid of the uncertainty of the world as it causes a ripple effect.But studies also show that these same people are prone to mental break downs, stress and depression. So as you remain it that comfortable, certain position, relationship or career, ask yourself this; If you are to live this world tomorrow, will you be content in how you have lived your one life? Luckily we earthlings were born with the power of free will; one of the most powerful tool we hold as earthlings. So I strongly advise you to use it; in all that you do. Life is about living, do not waste one second of it listening to the same Taylor Swift album all week.