Over the past month, I’ve been absent from blogging because I’ve been at a bit of a crossroads in life. When I first graduated college, I was lucky enough to land one of the best jobs I think I’ll ever have! As with most things, though, I didn't realize how perfect it was until my time in that job ended.
In my next couple of jobs, I struggled intensely with corporate environments and feelings of being stuck in an office from 8 to 5. While I was in some amazing, incredibly positive work environments, when I really looked inside myself, I knew that there was something off. Despite working with happy, friendly people, despite being given an incredible level of independence, and despite enjoying my job well enough, I knew that I wasn’t content with the idea of working in a company setting or climbing the corporate ladder for the rest of my working life.
The stress of this dissatisfaction weighed heavily in my heart. While I knew it was a great path for some, I couldn’t quite pinpoint why it didn’t feel like the right path for me. After some thought, I’ve come to the realization that I prefer to work independently. While I don’t think I have the guts it takes to be an entrepreneur, I crave the autonomy that entrepreneurs have.
On a personal level, both my boyfriend and I are also experiencing first hand the reality of aging grandparents. While it’s been difficult, for both ourselves and our families, I’m grateful that these moments have given us some clarity. Life is short, and when you really boil it down, our relationships with other people are all that we truly have (or need) in life.
The puzzle pieces are finally falling into place for us and we will be moving back to our home state of Wisconsin in a couple of weeks. In a strange way, it’ll be a new start, in a familiar place. I’ll be starting a new job and moving into a new apartment, but I’ll be surrounded by the little coffee shops, parks, and streets that I’ve known for as long as I can remember.
I’m also looking forward to the ability to take a step back and consider what a career truly means to me. At heart, I’m an idealist. I firmly believe that there is a career or an environment out there for me - and I’m relieved to be able to consider my next move in a familiar place.
I’ll leave it at that for now, but I hope to share more posts about the decisions I’ve made in the upcoming months. This entire summer has been a little bit hectic and I know it’s going to take some time for me to process all the craziness inside my head!
As always - thanks for reading, and here’s to life’s next chapter ♥
