Journey of a Thousand Miles

Another blog about nothing (these are my favorite kinds). I've had alot of time to think some things through. I've realized that I make things way more complicated than they need to be. Life is not supposed to be hard. It's supposed to be enjoyed. I just put alot of pressure on myself to succeed when I should "let go and let God," as the old adage says. I have decided to do this with my job search and my novel. I realized that God will bring me the job He wants me to have, just as He's brought me every other job I've had. When I was working at the Limited, the manager from Express came in to recruit, and that's how I got the job. When I was searching for jobs last year, a recruiter found my resume for Dell. Both of those jobs landed in my lap at the right moment, so I should just trust that God will bring me the next right job when the time is right. God knows what's best. It's made the whole job search thing alot more relaxing, knowing that I...

I think the hardest part about going after my goals is not being able to see the finish line. All I see around me are obstacles and setbacks, and it's easy to wonder if I'm getting anywhere at all. Today was the hardest for my ambitious little heart. When a girl like me who is creative, smart, and intelligent is sitting in a temp agency's office that is asking her to alphabetize words, she starts to feel that her intelligence is being insulted. Why did I even go to college?! I didn't get a BACHELOR'S degree so I could re-learn the alphabet! Then, when I'm sitting in the waiting room to get food stamps, and all the people around me look on the verge of being homeless or having their 10th child, I start to think, This is not where I belong. How did I end up here? What's even more sad is that I actually qualified for food stamps. It can only get better from here, right? I was told that God sees our circumstances in a different light than we do, and...

Wow.... my resume needed some major tweaking. I have spent the majority of this morning refreshing my resume, looking into unemployment, and contacting my temp agency. I feel more proactive about my job search this time around. I want to do it differently than last time in the sense that I will depend more on God with where He wants me. I know He will lead me where I need to be, and it makes the job search a lot easier. I am also more willing to put in some effort this time because the more I work and search for jobs, the faster this process will go, and the more liable I will find a job that works for me. I am a little more hopeful this time around because I know God will provide, and I know all this is happening for a very special reason. What that reason is, I don't know at this point. But I am putting a lot of energy into praying over this process, and I hope my friends do as well. I have found several jobs in my search that I would love to do, but don't seem qualified. And...

I guess now that I'm unemployed, I have plenty of time to update this sucker. Life was pretty busy there for awhile, but now I've got all the time in the world to figure out what my next step may be. I am grateful for the friends I made in my last job and the stability God gave me for those short two months. But here we are back at Square One, and this time I am more prepared for it and more faithful for what's to come. A lot of people keep asking me what I want to do next, and my answer for that is "I don't really know." It would be nice if somebody could tell me, but I know the only One who can tell me what to do with my life is my Father. I keep asking Him for a neon sign, but it seems He works more with subtleties. I feel that I am at the age where I should start doing what I really want to do and stop limiting myself with my fears. I have nothing at this point holding me back: no relationship, no mortgage, no children, no car note. I have complete freed...

In light of my New Years Resolution to get back on the road again, I think my first and foremost necessary goal for 2011 is to put God first. It baffles me how many times I forget to do this when the going gets tough. I tend to seek help from others and even myself, searching for any kind of good advice or words of wisdom from the sages, rather than go to the Ultimate Wise One who has the only true words that will satisfy me and lead me in the right direction. Lately, I've been confused and hopeless on the direction of my career. My financial situation in Austin has been quite a struggle, and it seems I just can't get both feet on the ground. I have interviewed for two jobs that I really wanted, and both have turned out unavailable to me. This also happened when I first graduated college, and I ended up getting to travel through Europe and found a job when I got back, so I've learned to trust God in these instances. But sometimes, my faith isn't so strong. Like today. T...

Lately I've been aching for familiarity. It's been awhile since I've been home- 6 weeks. It doesn't sound like a long time, but I usually go home every 4 weeks, so I'm finding myself a little homesick. I took a walk throughout the mall, and every time I go to the mall, I get nostalgic because it reminds of my Express days, when I had more sense of direction and more financial stability, when things were alot easier and I had work friends to see everyday. Sometimes I wonder why I ever left because I have struggled so much for the past year, but I know that if I had stayed, I would have made a very large mistake. God takes us where He needs us to go. So my nostalgia really got me questioning my current life, where I'm going, where I've been, and where I want to go. I don't think I've ever been more confused in my life. I've been doing alot of changing and alot of growing, alot of questioning and re-evaluating. And I have to say, it's mind-numb...

I prayed for God to give me what I need, and He delivered. Sometimes what we need isn't always what we want, but in the long run it is always better. I always learn things the best in hindsight. There have been many times in my life where I didn't get what I wanted, or maybe I did, and it didn't turn out exactly as I planned. But somehow, things worked out in a way that I got exactly what I needed, and sometimes that is a swift kick in the pants. I know that's how things panned out for me. I experienced this dilemma when I first graduated college and started looking for a job. I knew what I wanted but not what I needed. I kept praying "God, please give me this job. I need this job," but God had a better plan. I went a few months without a job when I first got my degree. I was living at home with my parents, my loans were coming in demanding to be paid, and still no income. I had big dreams of what I wanted to accomplish in my life, and it seemed that...