Happy 26th birthday to me! I thought as a fun tribute to this birthday, I’d reflect on the past year of being 25 and what made it special for me. Since every year of life is meaningful in its own way, this past year was no exception.
25 was the year that began a new, exciting rebirth of my professional life. This rebirth can be marked by one key theme—duality. After taking a few years to figure out my career, I started two new *very different* ventures at basically the same time! I went back to school to get a paralegal certificate AND started this mindset/personal development blog the very same week. Some may say it’s overly ambitious to begin two brand new ventures at the same time. I say it was a happy accident that couldn’t have worked out better!
Upon turning 25, I knew that I wanted it to be the year I finally launched my passion project. Though this blog only came out 9 months ago, I’ve been working on its content for the past few years now! I have other related projects that I’ve still yet to put out—(maybe those are for 26? We’ll see!)—but I’m so happy to have begun the journey! I also knew that I wanted to break my career uncertainty this past year. After much research and reflection, I finally landed on becoming a paralegal, as it aligned with my strengths, interests, and desires for a career. Now, in the last month+ of being 25, I landed my first paralegal job! It’s been an incredible opportunity that has already taught me so much!
These two components of my professional identity may seem like they couldn’t be more different. But that’s kind of what I love most about them! I have so many different sides to myself that I love being able to channel. My paralegal career allows me to tap into my structured, objective mind. On the other hand, my writing allows me to channel my creativity, my tendency to think deeply, and my nurturing side. Ever since starting school and this blog, I compare myself to Hannah Montana quite a lot! (I know this isn’t the first Hannah Montana reference I’ve made on the blog, but what can I say? She was a formative character of my youth lol). I’m living a “double life” and getting the best of both worlds!
My main takeaway from this chapter of my life has been something I’ve already known for a long time, but becoming living proof of it has brought it to the next level… I wasn’t meant to be put in a box, and neither were you! Whether you have a straight / narrow career path or something less traditional like mine, you have countless parts of yourself that you can share with the world. You can put yourself out there, try new things, say yes to opportunities, etc. as much as you want/need. There’s no need to limit yourself when you feel called to pursue something different. That could mean getting off your current path or simply expanding it to make room for your new pursuit. It also doesn’t have to pertain solely to your career. It can mean the addition of hobbies or personal goals/projects into your life.
However this lesson applies to you, the bottom line is, you and your life can be as multidimensional as you wish. You have an abundance of skills, qualities, passions, curiosities, etc. that will lend themselves well to whatever you set your mind to. So, get out there and explore what’s possible!
Keeping it short and sweet today, but let this be your reminder to tap into ALL the amazing things that you are. You never know when it’ll lead to something beyond your wildest dreams! Thank you so much for all the support you’ve shown for this blog in my first age of running it. I can’t wait to see what this new age brings!