Something that I have come to realize and accept, is that it is okay if you are not where you planned to be in life.
Trust me, it took me a good minute for me to get to this point. I always planned on finishing CSU within four years, move to Los Angeles, work in the magazine industry there and then move to NYC where I would get a top notch position for Seventeen Magazine. I had it all planned out, I even had the age of when I wanted to do each step.
However, life being life, it did not go exactly that way. Reaching the four year mark, something came up and I was unable to finish CSU, and later unable to afford it. So I began taking classes at a local Junior college where I currently am. I was not in my dream career either, and my love life was practically non-existent. So one would think, hmm maybe I should just quit with my dream altogether and just stay where I am. I mean, I am not hurting either, right? Wrong!
You see, I am the kind of person who likes to see the glass half-full, not because I was raised that way, but because if I don’t , well life can get you really down. I was at this point where I just felt like I was stuck. I was heavily disappointed at myself for not being where I planned to be, I was upset that I was disappointing my parents who mean the world to me. It isn’t until later that I see some light appearing through the dark cloud I have been living in.
Yes, I was definitely not where I planned to be in life, and life threw me some enormous obstacles, but then I saw it. I always thought that I wanted to be an advice columnist for Seventeen magazine, but I never really stopped to ask myself , “Why?” At the time that I had made that decision, I was thinking more of the reputation I would have, and the “show-off” status I would have within my relatives. I can just see it, at a family gathering “hay pos mi hija trabaja para una revista bien famosa en Nueva York”.
There was also a part of me that loves helping others, so I thought that would be an excellent way for me to help others. However, once life did not work out as planned, it made me question the “Why”, Why did I really want to pursue Seventeen Magazine? That is what stopped me on my track. It made me realize, the reason I was really stuck on Seventeen Magazine, was not only because I was hooked on it growing up ( like most of us were), but the true reason I wanted to do it was because I wanted to empower women. From there it led to, How? Why? I want to be able to show women, especially minority women that Si Se Puede, we can literally be anything if we set ourselves to. Granted, life may not work as planned, but it does not mean it won’t happen.
So I guess you can say that life not going my way has really shown me my true purpose on life. It has also made me a lot stronger, both emotionally and physically, as well as more determined than ever to make something of myself. I am not saying that Seventeen magazine won’t work out, I am just saying that if life had gone my way, I may not be as in-tuned with myself as I am. It also allow me to see that there are other ways to achieve my purpose. So if say your life did not go your way either, whether it is career, relationship, etc.
Do NOT give up. It may be easier to give up than to fight for it, but it just means that once your goal is obtained, it will only feel that much sweeter. So do not feel down or harm yourself in anyway, because we all go through it. So I am just here to remind you that you are not alone, and that it is ok not to be where you set yourself to be. Just remember, you always have the capacity to make the glass half full.
Hello, my name is Isabel G. Fregoso Campos and I am new into the writing scene. To be honest, all the other times I have wrote were for my classes and it always seemed a bit of a hassle because it was out of duty and not out of passion. Basically, just for a grade to pass the class. However, it isn’t until recently that I started delving into the online blogs that I realized that writing can be fun. It can be an outlet to let your persona show as well as to empower, which is something that I find myself very passionate about. So, this would be you, my dear reader, following me into my new writing journey.
