Hey yo. Hey yo. Haaay Yooo.
I feel obliged to tell y’all that Cap found her big girl panties. They’ve been buried somewhere under lots of fear and uncertainties, but they surfaced yesterday in the form of floral prints, jazzy colors, release parties and modern décor.
I know, so stylish.
I think I’ve died and gone to grown up heaven.
When you’re in school, no one tells you how terribly awkward and uncomfortable the limbo stage is after graduation. It’s so easy to be a dreamer in school. It’s easy to think about all of the epic, meme worthy jobs and experiences you are going to have because you don’t really have to figure out how to go about getting there.
In school, I had such a wide array of plans. Ultimately, I just wanted to be able to write, but I was game for anything. After two months of applying for jobs, and slowly feeling like I was destined for life as a #schlump, a friend over at Southern Living gave me the best advice.
Advice so simple it became the most frustrating thing I’d ever heard.
I emailed Travis at my low point. I believe the opening line went something like…
HOW DID YOU DO IT?! TEACH ME YOUR WAYS.
Travis replied coolly. “What kind of stuff do you want to write about?”
“ANYTHING!” I said.
“What do you want to write?”
(cyberspace crickets)
I was so caught up in telling people I was an English Major interested in writing that I somehow forgot to come up with a game plan. Sure, I knew I’d kill to write short stories or screenplays… but #lyke what was I going to do for a real job?
You don’t really graduate school with a column in Vanity Fair or a book deal.
It was the getting there that was really throwing me off. I kept taking shit jobs that weren’t getting me any closer to the dream. It was really difficult to realize that even in limbo – you have to have a game plan. You have to know what you have to offer, understand your interests, and find a way to make a job out of it.
But that’s really hard to grasp.
Because for four years you probably heard everyone tell you the world is your oyster, and it is.
It’s a big effing oyster that you have to figure out how to navigate.
What I’ve learned through this limbo is that you have to be true to yourself. You have to understand where your strengths are and you have to have a game plan while you make your way to your big game plan. Do what you know you like, but not just frivolously. Do it with passion and with a compass locked in on your end goal. Take risks. Explore your options. But you have to eventually narrow down your choices.
Figure out how to do one thing well – not a lot of things half assed.
Be willing to step out of your comfort zone, but don’t disregard what you really want. People are going to be eager to take advantage of your naivety. They are going to want to cash in on your willingness to do “anything”, because they realize you are desperate. But don’t be desperate. I mean, you can be in real life, but not in the job world. Know what you want, know you’re good at what you do, and write (or whatever you do) what you would want to read.
Also, never trust a man who wears a broken watch. Just trust me on that.
Southern Wild 