Maybe I’m getting old, but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about where I am in my life – if that even makes sense.
So, here I am about to move for the 4th time since becoming an adult and I’m trying to figure out if I consider myself to be successful. I know that this judgment is relative to a person’s culture and experiences and only I can really know the answer, but I can’t help but to think of what my family (and friends) may have expected from me. I wrote a while ago about cultural expectations for career choices and I think that’s where this all starts.
My mom always pushed us to go far in school. Very early on she made it clear that she expected my sister and I to at least finish college. Check, so +1
Then, I made the choice to get married and start a family soon after graduating college. –1
But, then I went back to school and obtained my masters’. +1
However, I am still trying to decide what I want to do for the rest of my life. –1
Even without my very expensive education ;) , I would know that this complex equation adds up to 0. Let me also add that I know that my friends and family are extremely proud of me – it’s the successful part that makes me wonder…
One thing I know for sure is that I am happy and I wouldn’t have things any other way. I just don’t want my type A personality to look back one day and wonder if I really made use of all my talents… [-O<
How do you (or your culture) measure success?
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I feel the same way. There's a restlessness about me that I can never quite pin down. It feels like no matter what I've done, it's not the answer to what I am looking for. Having our little one has quietened my restlessness a little, but it's still there.
How do some people just know exactly what they want to do with their lives & actually find there way to it?
Lynn –
It's as though you read my mind. Sometimes I think that this restlessness is brought on by being told "you can be whatever you want to be". It's a good thing that this generation (especially women) have countless options in terms of careers, etc.; however, it makes it all the harder to actually choose something
Also, I think that society often has a negative view of those who like to try different avenues. When I told a family friend that we were moving to Caracas, she said "but you just got settled in your job", all the while I'm thinking "I've been there almost five years, it's time to move on".