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Do you know deep down that you could do more with your life?

Are you feeling discouraged or stuck in your life or career?

Do you want to improve your life, but you don’t know how?

I know how it feels.

I took the traditional career path: high school, college, and then graduate school. But I didn’t have a plan.

I never felt confident in the direction I was heading-I went from one graduation to the next. I hoped that I would eventually figure it out. But I didn’t know what to do.

The jobs I tried always seemed to have the caveat of “for now” attached to them.

This was not a hopeful for the future “for now” it was a, “I don’t know what else to do for now”. Well, maybe the first couple of jobs were hopeful “for now” jobs. However, after a couple of those, I started feeling more and more discouraged.

I know what it feels like to think you’ve made all the wrong decisions.

After completing my Master degree I realized that I did not want to do any of the traditional jobs that I could have done with the degree. Since I did not have a clear career or life path, I ended up taking jobs in a field completely different from what I got my masters in.

None of the jobs I had for 7 years paid me even a stipend for having a Master level degree. Some years I’ve have multiple jobs just to make ends meet.

I ended up with student loan debt that I could not pay and jobs that provided either an unsteady pay check or barely enough to get by.

For a while, longer than the year I said I wanted to, I lived alone in a poorly managed duplex in an area of town where I increasingly felt unsafe, because I could not afford to move.

I lived in a different state from my family and felt disconnected from them and from any help I could have gotten if I had stayed closer.

For years, I have felt stuck in the field I ended up in. When I tried to change jobs I felt that I was being judged solely by what experience my resume lists rather than by my potential and abilities.

I wanted to make an impact, but I did not know how.

In 2016 I wasn’t enjoying my job. I knew I wasn’t using all of my skills. I wanted to do more in a job, but I lacked the clarity of what type of job I wanted to do. It’s hard to apply to jobs-or even want to look for or apply to the good jobs-when you have a low source of energy and confidence.

As time went on, I felt more and more depressed and discouraged. I didn’t want to talk to anyone about how much I was struggling. It was embarrassing. I’m a smart, well-educated, and independent lady. I’ve done some really courageous and adventurous things. I didn’t want to admit that I was drifting.

I was drifting y’all.

By December 2017, I was struggling financially with no optimism that I could reduce my debts or increase my paycheck. It was proving difficult to
land a decent paying job in the city that I lived in and I lacked a career plan that might help me. I thought I was permanently stuck. I thought I was too far behind.

However, I know what it feels like to regain my motivation and actively work to improve my life.

It all started by listening to a webinar by Michael Hyatt and signing up for his goal setting course. I had been gifted money and this was part of how I choose to spend it.

I almost did not sign up for the course, because I was afraid I was too far behind for it to make a difference. Yet I could feel the hope getting stirred up amidst the angst, so I signed up.

Since I started making life changes, I have doubled my income, I am making payments to tackle my debts, I am taking steps to find clarity in my career, I have moved to be closer to my family, I am more focused on my health, and launched this blog.

Is my financial or career situation solved? Not quite. A low income doubled is still not that substantial.  Are things perfect in my life since I took the big leap? Not at all. I still feel like a mess sometimes. Do I think I have all the answers? Please, let me tell you that I do not. However, I am learning. I am making progress. I am on the way to living a forward moving life.

My Goal in Writing this Blog

When I first started making changes in my life, I didn’t know where to turn for guidance in gaining clarity. I eventually found resources that helped and I wanted to share my experiences and insights. I also realized that I had been saying for years that I was going to start a blog. Writing about my journey towards living a directed life seemed like the place to start.

In writing articles for this blog, I want to:

1. Share the things that help me get and stay unstuck and on a path of growth. I hope that in doing this it might help you on your own path.
2. Connect you to resources and start a dialogue based on my learning about attitude, habit change, and finding clarity.
3. Build a community of support for those of us that are looking for ways to change attitudes, gain clarity, and make the changes to our behaviors that build a better us.

I am not yet a master of personal growth, habit change, or finding clarity. I am not a master goal setter. I still struggle with some of my ingrained world views, negative thoughts, and poor habits. Yet I am taking steps forward to improve my life every day.

I am currently writing about clarity, attitude, understanding behavior, and the connection between scientific practices and the practices of my faith.

Wherever you are in your journey towards making an impact on the world, I want this to be a safe place for learning and growing.

Please comment on posts and share any content that you find valuable.

For more on my journey to this point, read the following posts:

My Why

How Goal Setting Triggered a Life Change

Why Is Personal Growth Important?

I am excited for upcoming posts!

I hope you will bookmark this blog

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