Happy New Year!
Well, the new year has brought with it many changes. I'm leaving my job. My best friend has lost her mother to brain cancer. I've got an internship starting next week. All of this takes some adjusting.
Each year, we tend to make new year's resolutions. I haven't had a chance to think about resolutions, but I'd like to share a story from last year:
I had been working full time, attending school part-time and helping to lead the ASL Club on campus. My days were fast-paced and hectic, and I worried that I would become burned out. My new year's resolution was to slow down. It backfired. As I slowed down, I became unmotivated and lethargic. I'd come home and the end of the day and crawl into bed. Slowing down made me realize just how hard I had been working myself- and I was exhausted. Perhaps the best thing to do would've been to analyze my situation and re-prioritize. Instead, I dove head-first into planning our wedding, and told myself that as long as I was able to keep up with my work in the office and the classroom, I would be okay.
Well, a year later I realize that I pushed myself too hard. Life's too short to spend the time needlessly suffering when a few little adjustments could make life a lot easier. Leaving my job may be the best decision I've made in a long time. However, it does not come without a downside. In our culture, our work is a part of our identity. It saddens me to leave the work I have grown to value, and the colleagues I have come to trust and respect.
I'm glad that I've got the support and mentors I need to move forward, though. And soon I will begin a new career in a field I have hand selected- a luxury I have yet to experience.
To new beginnings!
Image courtesy of: www.123newyear.com
