Surviving the Quarter Life Crisis

I’m just trying to survive my Quarter Life Crisis.  

I have 8 months before I hit 30, and I’m pretty sure I was supposed to have it all together by now.  But let’s be honest, I have no idea what I’m doing.  I am basically a 12-year-old child trapped in this 29-year-old, cubicle-working, no passion, no direction life.  

In reality, I’m just trying to figure it all out.  

Where do I want to live?

Where do I want to work?

Am I really a repressed minimalist living among too much stuff?

What is my passion?  (Uh...is “passion” really a thing??)

Why can’t I stop biting my nails?

How do I define success?  And how am I working towards this?

So, in true form, I decided I need a plan.  Without a plan, I don’t act.  I think and stew and wallow.  Having a plan is much better.

This is my plan to persevere through my Quarter Life Crisis:

1.  Define my goals.

Without a clear set of goals, you have no idea what you are working towards.  You’ll just roam through life without a clear sense of direction.  You don’t have to be on the right path, but you should have an idea of where you are are going.  

Someone once had me make a life plan.  This was a daunting task, but it did open my eyes to begin mapping out how I want my future to look.

2.  Save money.

No one likes feeling poor.  No one likes feeling like they can’t pay their bills or that they can’t do the things they want.  You probably aren’t going to have your dream job at this point - let’s not even talk about our dream salary - but there is always room to save money.  

And I highly suggest watching Suze!

3.  Do something creative.

Take an art class.  Rearrange your living room.  Only buy things that are pretty AND functional.  Buy snappy shoes.  Get a haircut.  Get hot pink hair extensions.  

Doing something creative will only open your eyes to the beauty in the world.  Only then will you see the beauty in yourself and the beauty in the things that may have once appeared ugly and terrible.  

4.  Get outside.

Some people like running.  I might not be one of those people, but I highly suggest you going out for a run.  Or a brisk walk.  Or a slow walk.  

I have recently discovered joy and peace in hiking.  Maybe there is some new activity in which you could partake....who knows....maybe you’ll discover a new love.  

5.  DO SOMETHING!!!!

Write down your plan; then, put it into action.  Take a class at the community college or enroll in grad school.  Start a journal.  Use a planner.  Go to a MeetUp event.  Get outside of your comfort zone.  Take a different route to work tomorrow.  

Taking a baby step is better than stagnation.  

A typical January....

It’s mid-January, dear reader.  Actually, no.  It’s ALMOST February.  I have been quite productive these past three weeks!  My lovable man-friend is going off to play Army in a few weeks, and I must remain as busy as possible.  

In the last three weeks, I have clumsily played three volleyball games, visited the National Portrait Gallery with a wonderful friend, and painted this terrible still-life.  (Please don’t mock me to my face!!)  

The boy and I toured all of NYC in a 48 hour period.  

And, I experienced my first DC restaurant week.  

But what’s next?  I’ll still tutor once a week, and volleyball isn’t over for about a month.  But, I need some new ideas to keep my life exciting as I go back to living alone.  I’ll obviously be glued to the TV watching Barack speak in, what I’m sure will be, a riveting State of the Union address to our nation.  I’m still trying to master iCloud, OS Lion, and the rest of the Apple products I’m slowly converting to.  One of my oldest friend’s is getting married, so I’ll be making a trip to the Midwest for his celebration.  Yet, this is not enough.  

I sent in my volunteer form to serve at my local soup kitchen, but alas, they have not responded.  I found (and bought) a Groupon for a knitting class, but I haven’t picked my dates to begin learning.  I just feel like there are more things that I can do at home that will greatly impact my life and those around me.  

Here are some ideas on ways to keep myself busy in the upcoming weeks:

• I want to bake more.  Momma Martha and I need to spend quality time together.  I even got this beautiful cookbook for my birthday, so I need to put it to use.

• I would like to be a little more creative: painting more or creating projects from my hands.  Of course, my knitting class will definitely help in this department. 

• My reading and writing has exponentially decreased since graduation - maybe I’ll bust out a nice poem for my next blog.  Do you have a preference: haiku, iambic pentameter, free verse?  

• I'd like to research a nice vacation spot for myself.  Maybe I'll even take the leap and go on a trip by myself - one of my life goals!  

So far, I've had an excellent January.  I love being busy and finding new, fun ways to explore my city and life after work.  I have only spent a few hours in my jam-jams watching Teen Mom; yes, it's still an embarrasing guilty pleasure.  But, I'm working on it!