Life, Advice & Travels from the Rockies

The colors of Colorado...shining bright even at sunset

Welcome to the fourth week of my new adventure of living and working in the scenic foothills of Colorado.

As you may have noticed, I've been a bit off the grid lately (at least as far as this blog is concerned). The reason for that can be attributed to the busyness of my new job with GoAbroad, settling in to a new apartment and generally trying to find my feet in this new place I'm calling home. Of course, there have been moments of being overwhelmed, nights where I jerk awake with a "where am I?" feeling and even more occasions of wandering solo about town. There is something amazing about each of these feelings, though: they are balanced by the fact that I'm finally getting to do what I love for a living and meeting some amazing people along the way.

No way can I complain about that.

Seeing as how the international education industry incorporates significant amounts of travel, I've made it my philosophy to appreciate every place I may call home or occasionally visit. You never know who you might meet around the corner or what destination you'll see next. It's this mystery that keeps so many of us intrigued (and perhaps obsessed) by travel; there is significance in even the briefest experiences and we owe it to ourselves to keep our eyes open. 

Ever since arriving to Colorado, the time I've spent I've spent on my own exploring and at my job have made it clear to me that it is possible for hard work to pay off. I'm not saying it's easy and that the hard work ever really ends, but if you believe enough in yourself there's no end to your success. Does this make me sound like a broken record advocating for an overused cliche? Perhaps. But that doesn't make it any less true.

My new GoAbroad bio on the main site

If you're a recent grad who's freaking out that the new school year is starting up for all your friends, while you've yet to land a job, I have some advice for you: take a deep breath. And then take another. Once you've sufficiently calmed down, it'll be easier to put things into perspective. Things rarely happen when we plan for them to and you're more likely to get what you need instead of what you want. I won't lie to you and say these aren't hard lessons to learn. They are, and I'm still learning them myself. Just because I now have a full time job hasn't changed that.

You owe it to yourself to be working a job you love and soaking up every new and unexpected moment. The best way to get to that point is embrace opportunity, to stand back up when challenges knock you down and to never, ever give up on your aspirations. You can be either your greatest ally or worst enemy. The choice is up to you. 

Don't think that you're alone in this either. We're all right there alongside you, myself included. As my BFF, Jane Austen once said (in the novel Mansfield Park, of course):

"Everybody likes to go their own way--to choose their own time and manner of devotion."

Even if you aren't a fan of Austen, you have to admit that she's got a knack for saying the right thing at just the right time. So what are you waiting for? Close the door on doubt and start living up to YOUR potential.