Taking the Road Not Taken
I have always envied the people I came across in my life who knew exactly what they wanted to do with their future. I, until recently, always felt conflicted on the topic.
I knew the things that I was passionate about but my passions didn’t seem to coincide with what I perceived to be a practical career. I suppose this could be partly due to the fact that I have always wanted to follow in the footsteps of my incredibly successful yet very sensible sisters. From as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be just like them, even though, I am very different from both. I yearned for a career that I could be passionate about, but my appetite to be just like my two older sisters blurred my perspective a bit. So, when I graduated from college, I did what I thought was the right thing. I followed in my two older sisters footsteps and I joined corporate America.
I’ve worked at Terralever for almost 3 years now. I interviewed for the job directly out of college and despite my lack of experience they felt confident in my abilities. Since the day I set up camp behind that desk, I’ve thought about doing something I could be more passionate about. Unfortunately, the thought of leaving my comfortable, stable job in economic times such as these left me feeling guilty -- Who do I think I am to be able to just up and leave a good job at a great company, when so many people would feel lucky just to have a job, any job? ...That’s how I used to feel.
Not that long ago I had this friend. This friend had an enthusiasm for life like I had never experienced. He was young, motivated, successful and passionate. I spent almost everyday for over 2 years with him, after-all, this friend was my boss. He was an amazing boss. He celebrated my successes, helped me through my failures and pushed me to be better, to learn more, to work harder. Seven months ago, he killed himself.
There’s this other man in my life who has impacted my world incredibly from the day I was born to this very second. He’s comforted me in times of hardship, he’s supported me even when we didn’t necessarily see eye to eye and he has given me nothing but unconditional love for my entire life. I am lucky to have him as my father. It sounds simple enough, but I know very few people in this life are lucky enough to have a father like I do. For the last year my father's will and strength has been tested as he's battled it out with not one, but two different kinds of cancer.
It’s easy to see why my perspective has changed a bit over the last year. Recent events such as these have opened my eye’s and my heart to a more fulfilling life. We never know what our fate has in store for us -- why should I spend another second in a job that's not a perfect fit? Why should I spend another sleepless night stressing over work that doesn’t make my heart pound? The days at Terralever are long, the work is tough and I pour every ounce of passion that I have into it. I have established a reputation for myself, not only in the company but within the marketing industry. I do my job beyond well and I am respected. So whats the problem? Well, a couple things. The first is that I’ve found that being an extraverted idealist and being chained to a desk all day is a combination that results in a first-class ticket to the cuckoo’s nest, and the second is that I’m wasting all my passion on something that I am not very passionate about. Please don't get me wrong, it’s an incredible job, at an incredible company and the knowledge and experience I have gained there will undoubtedly be beneficial to my future career. Terralever will always be close to my heart, I owe so much to that company. But, I am ready to pursue a career that fit's me better -- a career in the photography industry.
I’m not scared anymore to veer away from my sisters and make my own footsteps. I see clearer now that it’s important for me to do something that makes me holistically happy. I may not get to have a say in my fate, but I won’t go another day being a victim of my own trepidation. I’m confident that this is the right choice for me and I know I will be successful because I know I will do whatever it takes.
