Hello Lovelies!!
This topic has been on my mind a lot lately especially as I think about the future and my plans after graduation. I have thought about what I want for my life and oftentimes I think, what if my plans do not work out? What if I have to find something else or what if I have to wait? I realize that all these fearful thoughts revolve around settling, and here is why, no matter the circumstances, you should NEVER settle for anything.
Settling is a phenomenon that can occur in any area of life, personally and professionally. Ironically, it always brings about some very unsettling feelings. You know that feeling? It’s like walking into a shop looking for that cute top you had your eye on for a while, and unfortunately that cute top is out of stock, so you look for something similar just to avoid walking away empty handed. But then, this horrible feeling sets in that tells you that whatever you just bought is not enough. It wasn’t your goal, but you took it anyway in order to avoid making a difficult decision.
I have since learned that it is ok if not completely necessary to make that difficult decision.
Now, the opposite of settling isn’t necessarily making the difficult decision of walking away from anything but the absolute best. Rather, it is knowing your worth and how incredibly valuable you are, and choosing a life that fits you accordingly. There are many areas of life where you can choose to not settle, but I will stick to two areas: Relationships and Professional Life.
Relationships
In both romantic and non-romantic relationships, people often settle primarily because it is better than the alternative: isolation. But in settling, you tell yourself that you are not worth having better, kinder people around you, and over time you accept more BS from the other person. Look for that person who not only accepts you where you are, but also encourages you to move forward and do your best.
Professional Life
I’ve always heard stories of people spending years and years in a job they never liked simply because it pays the bills. This may sound extremely simple, but if you have a dream and a passion for yourself and your work, go live it. Sure, there may be difficult steps to get there, but if you know who you are and what you want, what’s stopping you from pursuing your dreams?
When I find myself in these situations; when I have a dream or a passion and I am not living up to my fullest potential, I make lists. I plan and I create vision boards and it is honestly the most freeing experience to lay out all my ideas in one place in order to periodically check if I am on track to meet my goals. Typically, I make new goals lists and vision boards each semester, and I keep them on the fridge or in my planner so that everyday I am reminded that to continue working for something greater.
When I first started the blog 6 months ago, I did not imagine it would become so successful so quickly! At the time I made a list for myself. This list included short term and long term goals for the blog like content, production, collaborations, etc. This process has taken a lot of work but through it all I never sold myself short and that makes me even more proud to be where I am now.
I encourage you all to do more than simply dream. Envision your goals, record them either with a list or a vision board, and watch how that daily reminder will push you to achieve more than you can imagine!
xx,
A