This weekend I graduated from Illinois State University with a Master’s in Business Administration and a Certificate in Organizational Leadership. I completed eight prerequisites and 12 degree-seeking courses in three and a half years, all while working full-time, continuing to volunteer in my community, and being a wife, mother, and friend. Here’s what I learned.
When I embarked upon my Leadership Illinois journey, I never imagined that the most poignant message I would come away with would be this: “I am meant for more than laundry.”
My phone started ringing at 4:45 a.m. this morning. It was M, calling to ask if I would check to see if he had shut the garage door when leaving for work. He had.
The early morning wake up call provided me the perfect opportunity to try out a recommendation I heard on yesterday’s How to Money podcast with guest, “5am Joel”: the 5 a.m. wake up.
Reading 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think has challenged me to think broadly about what I want for my life. I’m currently on a two-week break from work, which has freed up some mental space for dreaming, too.
I mentioned previously that this year I want to make progress on the things that matter to me: creating, writing, and painting. In a day and age when it seems like we’re being pulled into hundreds of different directions, finding time for what matters can feel like an insurmountable feat.
It’s a new year, a new decade. We celebrated with the same friends we rang in the new year with in 2019. Our kids stayed awake too late and have been little bears since, but all in all it was a fun time. This last decade has been busy: a marriage, two babies, buying a house, job changes, and more.
Have you ever seen a beehive, the kind with glass sides that lets you look in on hundreds of shimmying bodies milling about, each one pressing against another until they become one vibrating mass?
Self-improvement is always on my mind. It’s echoed in the blogs I read, the social media I consume, and the conversations I have. And while self-improvement is a worthwhile goal, I think an equally important pursuit is to approach life with a spirit of contentment.
I just read a fascinating article on the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, found via The Frugal Girl. The author, Steph of Simplistic Steph, argues that despite the loudly touted benefits of the FIRE lifestyle, not everyone can retire young…and that’s okay.
Sometimes when I’m having a bad day, or just feeling wistful, I’ll spend some time thinking about how different my life will look in five years. This exercise helps me a). realize that many of the things currently bothering me won’t matter at all down the line, b). know that even when it’s hard to see progress towards bigger goals, in five years, those accomplishments may be in the rear-view window, and c). helps me pinpoint what I can and should focus my energies on now to get to where I want to be later.