The Quarter-Life Crisis

The quarter life crisis is an all-too-common malady that plagues so many 20-somethings. It's that (oh so frustrating) stage between college and real life where you're trying to figure out what the heck you're supposed to do next. It's the time when all of your friends have spread out across the region, the state, the country, the world, even...

It's the time when half of them have gotten married and a quarter of them have had or are having babies...and your own love life has hit a dead end without a prospect on the horizon. You get stuck in relationships because they're comfortable--even if you know they're going nowhere...or you just date all the wrong guys (or girls) because the right one is taking too long to show up and sweep you off your feet...or you simply decide to stop dating because you just get so fed up with the pettiness of it all. And the relationship stuff isn't the toughest part.

The worst of it is figuring out what to do with your LIFE--that little thing called work. It's that stage where you get stuck working at a job you don't want to do so you can pay bills you don't want to pay. And you have those dreadful nagging thoughts that constantly plague your mind: "What am I supposed to do with my life? I know it's not what I'm doing now, but I can't quit 'cause I gotta pay my bills...But it doesn't matter anyway because I have no idea what I want to do in the first place! Aaaaaugggh..." Yes, these are the rantings that once occupied my mind. But the rantings finally stopped! They began to decrease when I left the world of sales and were completely silenced when I got to Korea. I never realized how fulfilling teaching could be! A big part of me wishes I would have done this straight after graduation, but then another part of me says the timing would have been wrong. 

Life really just kind of sucked between the time I graduated and the time I left Wells Fargo, so three years ago I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much, nor would I have had some of the life experience (like living alone) that I brought with me to Korea. Everything works together...At any rate, I am in such a good place now and am so thankful to God for it. 

All this to say, for those of you facing your quarter-life crises, I'm sorry. I know it sucks. But hang in there; there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You will figure it out, and in the end, somehow, all the crap you're dealing with right now is not going to seem like such a big deal in the grand scheme of things. In fact, you'll probably be thankful for the journey; as tough as it was! I know it's cliche, but "What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger."