Direction

I have had an exhausting number of conversations with my peers concerning plans after high school. More often than not, the answer is simply college, but for some individuals the answer is, "I don't know."

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Direction, it can be defined as "a course along which someone or something moves." When leaving high school we are tasked to establish direction. I don't blame anyone for struggling with it, but it is beyond important. I would venture to say your life is at risk if you do not properly establish direction. We get caught in the fun of doing whatever we want that we forget about the steps needed to accomplish what we really want.

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There is a bit of self-love in this aspect. You need to love yourself enough to be willing to say I want something for myself. You deserve that. Then, it's what do you want? What do you care about? What do you love? Does a million dollar income really seem profitable to you? Is playing the piano your forte? Be considerate of yourself because it is your life. Remember that success is not a dollar amount.

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I detest this finite idea that, "you must go to college to be successful." Heck no! Yes, statistically individuals who go to college make a comparatively larger salary than those who do not. That comparison falters in terms of success. Success is an overarching balance of economic stability, satisfaction, relationships, health, and spirit. I know a whole program of individuals who are scared to pursue performing arts, simply because of the money. I'm not saying "YOLO" and jump right in, but take the time to decide if it's what you want for yourself in life.

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"Well... I want to do lots of things?" (So you say for the nth time) If you can't commit to one thing-don't. Establish a direction that leaves paths open to further pursue those interests. This might also include doing immersive research. Make sure the interest is something you actually see yourself doing. Visit with someone in your field of interest or immerse yourself in an internship.

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After you have established what you want, find out how. Do I need to go to college? Could I sustain myself? What preparations should I take? Can I gain experience (back to the interning)? Will it allow me to do the other things I want? Not all wants have to be job related. I want to dance while being an engineer. That is a personal priority that I must leave myself open to achieve.

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I cannot express the importance of writing this information down. Get out of your head and speak it into existence. Claim your decisions; claim your love; claim your life; claim your direction. Being scared is valid but giving up is not. I would remind you to think of the definition, “a course along which someone or something moves." That course is what you determine, but most importantly is movement. You have to keep moving in life. If you find yourself stagnate you are definitely not getting closer to your goals. It requires effort.

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I think of an arrow with this analogy. It starts going, (and yes will end at some point) but you don't know where that end point is. Your "magnitude" (ha-ha math terms) is determined by the length of that arrow. So don't stress too much about the direction you are setting. The real important piece is to keep moving.