Thoughts on Turning 25

Well, its here. My birthday. I'm turning 25. That seems like a big age. A quarter century. Halfway to 50. The age that my mother had me at.

I'm not where I thought I would be. That is for sure. I had much different expectations for what 25 would be. They included a husband, a baby, and a house in the suburbs. But, for now, that is okay. Because although I'm not where I thought I would be, I'm exactly where I need to be.

I have a job. Not just any job. A fun job. Where I can be myself and work with other highly motivated co-workers. This job isn't one that I even considered while growing up. It just kind of happened to me. But I wouldn't change this happenstance for anything. I've learned so much and realized that work doesn't have to be boring.

I have great friends. Seriously. The best. Each one is special in a different way, but they all make me who I am today. Some are married with kids, some living half way across the country pursuing their own careers. And some I get to see everyday and hang out with quite a bit. Its funny how each one of my friends is very different, but I couldn't imagine my life without them. So if you are my friend and reading this, Thank You for being there for me through thick and thin and helping me become a more amazing person each and every day.

I have a family who cares. I feel like this is a luxury in the world today. So many people only see there families a few times a year and its out of formality, not because they actually want to see them and share their life updates. I'm lucky that I can go home and see them any time I want to and they will listen to me babble on and on about work and friends and all the fun stuff.

This is such a weird age. I don't feel like I'm old, but that number just seems so high. So instead of focusing on what is missing from my life and what I thought I should have by now, I want to focus on what I have already accomplished.

I have a degree. From a great business school. Technically two--Supply Chain Management and Marketing.

I experienced leadership. I was a VP in my sorority and that gave me a lot of experience managing people and managing expectations. This has carried over into my career and I am thankful I had that opportunity in school.

I have traveled. I studied in Australia and in Italy. Those experiences were amazing and only made me want to see more of the world. There is so much out there and so many different types of people and culture that I want to learn about. I want to learn more and more. I can only hope I will have the income to support traveling or the will power to save enough money to go all the places I want to go. I guess that is what the next 25 years can be for.

I've experienced love, and loss. This is a hard one to write about. I wasn't sure if I was really "in love" but I do know what it is like to lose somebody that you love. So it must exist, even if I don't know exactly when I am feeling it. I've also experienced loss. This is also hard to write about but it just makes me appreciate the happy times so much more.

I know what I want. And what I don't want. Each year it becomes more and more clear what path I should be taking and what goals I should set. Its also becoming more clear what makes me truly happy and what I need to do to get to that happiness.

At this point, I can only hope that I keep up the energy to continue pursuing my dreams, following my heart, having fun along the way, and learning more about myself.

Here's to the next 25 years!

K


Image from here.