It's the little things

I think that graduating college and "getting started on your life" is a very challenging time. You've put in all this hard work  so that you can get a good job and be successful... And then, you kill yourself constantly trying to be better, trying to make more money, trying to support yourself and your dreams and eventually you family. It's all very stressful!

I think, that at a young age, an idea is planted into our minds that there are all these things we have to be in order to be successful in life. Get an education, get a job, get promoted, be innovative, be successful, be the best... We think that after college, there's no more room for fun. It's time to buckle down and be serious.

Over the last year and a half, I have been so preoccupied with "getting my life started," getting a dream job, making more money, being the best! So preoccupied that I forgot about me. I forgot about being myself, letting loose, having a good time, enjoying the little things in life... 

All this time, I thought I was finding my way, but I've only come to realize, that I was more lost than I had ever been before.

Realizing something like this is hard. It takes life changing events, I think. (which I seem to have been experiencing a lot lately)

Don't get me wrong. I love my job. I'm so happy that I found my way to it and I still believe whole-heartedly that it is going to help me tremendously. But I never took the time to just be proud of myself. To just say, hey, Alex, good job. Look what you've accomplished. I just kept focusing on getting better, being the best, proving to everyone that I'm amazing! I was so focused on all of that, that I forgot what life is really about...

What's the point of putting yourself through all this stress to get better and be better so that you can get to a point  that you believe will make you happy when you're not happy through the process? So I thought about it, and I decided. I can still put my heart into my job and try to get better, but I don't have to be the best. I don't have to be so hard on myself when I mess up, or when I struggle. It's okay. It's not that serious!

What I need to focus on is getting in touch with myself. Getting to know myself. Having fun and just enjoying the little things in life again. I need to focus on being happy. Because, in the end that's really what's important in life.