In a little over 2 months, I will be 23! (If you asked my friend, Kristy, she would tell you I’ve been at 23 for 2 years now. Apparently, I feel older than I actually am). 23- ehh nothing special. Right in the middle of 21 and 25. Up until I hit 21ish my plans for 23 had been set in my mind since I was a little girl...
By 23, I planned to have graduated college, met my soulmate- been engaged and then married, and have settled into my dream job in a new city to eventually start a family. Oh, how plans never work out the way you think they should. God has even bigger plans for our lives.
So let’s take a look at my life and where I am now....
At 21-- after my junior year at the University of Tennessee-- I packed up my life and moved from Knoxville. The Big Orange Nation had been my home since 2007....
... I then took a year off of school and worked at Three Sister’s Boutique in Spartanburg, SC. It was there that I gained my most valuable retail experience. I worked as a sales associate and an accessories buyer. I still miss the boutique. It just felt like “home.”
... Fast forward to a 2011- I moved to Charlotte in March and started working for 7 for All Mankind as a Sales Associate. I absolutely adored the people I worked with! (I worked through October)
... In April, I started at the Art Institute of Charlotte to finish my degree in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing... That lasted until November (for unfortunate health reasons).
... And now, I am taking a big leap into the Big Girl World! I was just offered a full time sales position at Belk in Southpark... of course, I accepted!
The plan is to work full-time and start back to school in April. But as my life proves, plans never work out the way we think they should. And while I sometimes find that I compare myself to my peers, I know that I am doing things the way that I feel is right for ME-- and only me. I will finish school eventually and earn my degree- because I’ve come too far not to. But at the same time, I am building an incredible resume that will help me in my future career.
.... And for those of you who know me, y’all know that I am your typical type A personality. And that I always have a plan-- and backup plans. But give up those plans of yours and pray! God has even bigger plans for your life... and maybe your own plans will keep you from following his. I’ve learned to just stop planning. If I hadn’t given up my plan at 21, I would not be living up to my potential right now!
... So wish me luck on my newest endeavor!
