Swim, Sink or Float?

Do you sometimes feel stuck in a boring dead end job? Are you making a difference in your chosen profession or are you just collecting a salary? Do you feel passionate about what you do at work? Have you ever asked yourself these questions? Maybe you should spend some time reflecting on these because life is passing you by and every minute of every day that you allow to slip by while you are running on autopilot is a minute too long.

My name is Celeste Sobion and I am a 28 year old and these questions have been running through my mind for the past few months. At this point in my life, I feel as though I have come to a crossroads where I have to make some tough decisions about my future. I have already come to the conclusion, that continuing on my current career path will not allow me to achieve my goals, one of which is to become a homeowner.  Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for all I have and I know that if I continue doing what I do every day I will be comfortable. I will be able to afford my rent, go on a vacation every now and then and buy a new car every couple of years. But, is it wrong to want more? I want to eventually own my own home, I want to buy whatever car I want and go on vacations wherever I want to.

So do I continue on this comfortable path? The path of least resistance? The path of doing just enough to float instead of sink, but not enough to actually swim. Or do I take a chance and try to swim instead of floating? I have decided to swim.  I want to venture outside of my comfort zone. I don’t want to settle for a life half-lived, to end up at age 45 year wondering what I could have done differently and regretting my life choices.

Now, let’s be honest, it is not like one day you could just get up and decide to quit your job and live a successful life pursuing your dreams. That will be a tad bit reckless to say the least, I have rent to pay, my car needs gas, I need money to buy food and groceries, I am a woman with responsibilities like everyone else. But, how about instead of trying to make a full 180 degree turn right away, you instead make a series of small turns (a couple of degrees a day) that will eventually change the direction of my life.

Can you find the time to do one thing a day (whether it is for 10 mins or 15 mins a day) that your future self will be grateful for? I believe that if you want to change your life you have to change your way of thinking and operating, and you can do this bit by bit every day.

So how am I going about this? My first step is by reading books centered around self-improvement and personal development such as Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith. Books that challenge you, cause you to broaden your mind. (I will give a review of some of these books in a subsequent post). I also think it is very important to spend time for self-reflection and writing in your journal. How can you find out what you are passionate about if you do not spend time thinking about it first?

Does anyone else feel the same way I do? Will you like to join me on this journey? Maybe we can learn from each other. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments in the discussion section below.

Much Love

CS