Hi, readers or online thinking box space. It has been a couple of weeks since I have posted something. I want to blame my constant drive of back and forth, moving around and living life, but really, I just hadn’t set aside the time for it. My apologies, but here I am.

Today, I want to talk about something that is more personal. No rafting, no rapids. Just me and a keyboard putting words onto a screen that have lived in my head for quite some time. Since I am getting a touch more personal I have to share a story of my life for context, so maybe a little bit of rafting and rapids.

Two years ago, I graduated college. At the time, I had no idea of what I wanted my career path to be. So, I decided to venture out. Do something uncomfortable to give me growth. A family member invited me to take a job with her out in West Virginia as a photographer for a rafting outpost.

So, I began my journey. Instead of going home to my hometown, I took a step away from the nest and I fell in love with it. The scene was beautiful. I loved my job. I loved my home, which became a cabin in the woods of West Virginia, specifically out by the New River. Yeah, it was rustic. I lived very simply, minimalistic, and carefree in the woods. I found a new type of peace out there. But realistically, that is where I began to step into the unknown and uncomfortability.

After the season ended, I came back to my hometown. I worked a job that I had worked at most of my life. I lived with my parents. I searched for something to give me discomfort something that could in a way, push me to grow and learn something to prepare me with knowledge and skills to guide my own life. I was back in the same routine, and I felt as though that was my lack of growth. I kept questioning if this was the path that was meant for me? I was unhappy, trying to navigate my own self in a place that was essentially “conquered”.

So I decided to change. I decided that what I needed was to leave the comfort, the cushion. To step out into this world and find something that I loved, something that I wanted to do. Our minds often crave familiarity, but familiarity can lead to complacency.

Everybody will eventually go through this turmoil at some point in their life. But coming to that point, leaving the familiar behind, and stepping into your own story, is a daunting and frightening feeling. Here is my advice to you that I believe is connecting the dots for me.

While I have yet to fully submerge into the ocean of complete independence, here are the pathways and truths that I have carved for myself, for my swim, that maybe you can touch on too.

1. Independence is Empowering…

…and terrifying. I have grown up STRIVING to be independent, but when it came to the actual feeling of being on my own, I am scared. And that is okay. Every decision is ultimately going to be up to you; little woven pieces of fabric which will influence and make up a quilt of your life.

But with that freedom comes responsibility. It’s not just about making choices; it’s about owning those choices. When you’re independent, you’re the one in charge of making sure things get done. You’re responsible for your finances, your well-being, and the direction your life takes.

2. You are going to mess up…

…and that is called human. No one has all the answers, otherwise we would have this life thing figured out. It isn’t meant to beat you up, but it is going to help you learn. Growth is our way of teaching us things that we need to know to succeed. So when you stumble, know that this is allllllll normal. Just keep walking. Give yourself some grace too.

3. Embrace the Unknown…

…and understand that the unknown is a reality of life. You can plan as much as you want, and then life has a funny way of saying, “that’s not what I want,” and uproot your entire plan.

But brace for the unknown. Instead of being scared that it could all go wrong, be excited and focused and driven that it could go right. This is the opportunity to drive to where you want your life. This is the opportunity to do what you want, where ever you want.

4. Your Journey, Your Pace,

No timeline, due date, or ETA. This is all happening at your pace. Which can kind of go hand-in-hand with don’t compare where you are at in life to where someone else is.

It is all going to happen whether or not Sally from Undergrad bought her house before you.

But it is all up to you. Life is going to happen with or without you. With that comes responsibilities. Time to be adult, and that doesn’t mean giving up on things, but it means that it is time to live the life you want.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I hope it meant something, or just gave some peace to my inner mind.

Till next time.