Hey friends, I have some news to share! Are you ready?........... I am no longer a bluegrass gal but officially a Georgia peach, more specifically, an Atlanta Georgia peach!!! That's right, I have left my small, close-knit town to become a tiny little speck on huge grid. Scary? Yes. Exciting? Yes. Stressful? Yes. But as scary and stressful as this decision may have been, (not to mention the actual move, shew!!), I knew it was something I needed to do. Something I had to do. And a part of me always knew it would happen.
For many people, a safe and secure job, starting a family, and buying a house and/or new car are the ultimate goals after graduation. For some it may be right after high school that they begin this new life and family and for others, after college, but for the most part, they have a pretty good idea of the type of job they will be working and how their life/family is going to pan out. Me on the other hand, I've never been one of those types of people.
Now, I'll be the first to admit... I'm a dreamer. For as far back as I can remember, I have dreamed of getting out. Moving to a big city. Exploring. Traveling. Finding my way. Creating my way. (To say that I'm "that girl" that's Pinterest is filled with pictures of downtown New York apartments with exposed brick walls and inspirational quotes about chasing your dreams would pretty much be hitting the nail on the head. haha.)
Throughout college I'll admit, I thought I had it all figured out. In reality, I just spent a lot of time convincing myself I had it all figured out but I quickly realized after graduation, the career I had planned wasn't quite what I wanted. Actually it wasn't really at all what I wanted. Oops. You know it's bad when you are slightly relieved you never hear back from that application you submit.
But what was I going to do now? I mean I couldn't just do nothing for the rest of my life, although sometimes it does seem like it would be an easier route. My favorite professor, Dr. Marley, once told the class, "The career you choose should be your passion. It should be what you want to spend your time learning about. It should be what you watch on TV, read about on social media..." So, I started a blog, this blog to be exact. Office manager for a construction company by day, fashion blogger by night. Glamorous I know. But, I had found my passion. I turned my love for clothes, consignment and sale shopping, and social media into MarahCAR and have loved every minute of it.
There is so much more I want to do with this blog but there is also so much more I want to do with my life, which brings me to the real point of this post. I was stuck in a rut and I wasn't happy. Yes I started my blog which was great! Finally some direction! Yes I was coming down to Atlanta for modeling jobs and auditions pretty frequently. More progress! But I hadn't gained the courage to take the next step.
I was scared.
I decided it was time. I was done being scared. I was done worrying about figuring it all out. I was done holding myself back. This is what I had talked about since I was young. Leaving, getting out, moving to a big city, finding adventure, creating a different life for myself. A life that I truly enjoyed and wouldn't have to look back one day and ask myself "what if?"
So what did I do? I did what a lot of people would call crazy, naive, stupid even. I decided I was going to move. I got an online account on a roommate match website. Within a week I had met my future roommate for the first time and we had signed a lease for an apartment. I packed up all of my belongings and furniture the next week. I said goodbye to my family. I said goodbye to my friends. I said goodbye to the love of my life. And I moved.
The point of all of this is to say my life is hectic right now. I'm still trying to figure it all out. I'm in a new city with a WHOLE lot of new people, only about 3 that people I actually know, and a crap ton of traffic but you know what? That's okay. I have the support of an amazing family, great friends, my boyfriend and most importantly God. I know it is going to be hard. I know I am going to struggle. I know I am going to fail. But I know I will get back up again and keep pushing towards my goals and dreams. (Dream chaser, remember?)
The truth is, I don't think you will ever feel completely ready to change your life. There is always going to be a little pinch of doubt in the back of your mind that says can't do something, along with probably a big pinch of fear telling you not to. Don't let that stop you. If you want something go after it. Work hard and put in the effort and don't quit. Good things and opportunities will come. And when failure or struggles come, because they will, don't let that be the end of your journey. You just might have to take a slightly different route. After all, I truly think when we come to the realization that not everything is going to work out perfectly as planned and that we really don't have it all figured out, we actually start to live.