Nothing Ever Goes As Planned, But Try Anyway

As I sat there in my small apartment, wondering how I would afford next week’s groceries, I couldn’t help but wonder how things got so far off track. I had a plan. I played by the rules. I worked my ass off to be the successful woman I was supposed to be. I was going to go to the grad school of my choice and fulfill the career of my dreams! Yet I was a college graduate with a good degree, a beautiful resume, and I was barely making minimum wage at one of the most undesirable jobs I never wanted to have. That’s when I had my first surreal life lesson: Nothing ever goes as planned.

There’s a saying, “Without suffering, there would be no compassion.” It’s so true. Looking back at how scared I was at that point in my life just makes me appreciate where I am at now so much more. I want you to know, if you are struggling right now, you have two choices:

1. Let the roadblocks placed in front of you defeat you and use those roadblocks as your excuse to stop trying

2. Get creative, get stronger, fight harder, persevere, and do not stop until you get where it is you know you deserve to be!

So, you had a dream and it backfired—you’re allowed to cry. You’re allowed to have a night full of sad movies and ice cream or whatever your guilty pleasure may be. But after you have that good long cry, get back on your feet and readjust your perspective. Perhaps your dream just wasn’t big enough for what God has in store for you. Or maybe it just was not the right timing for you. Whatever the reason, accept what is and keep going because half the battle is getting up and going, even when the road seems to be a dead end. The funny thing about dead ends is that you can always turn around and redirect yourself. Understand that there will be rejections. Keep applying! There will be failures. Keep striving! Know that your plans will likely fail and plan anyway. Because that is how you will eventually soar!

As I sit here today as the career woman I aspired to be so many years ago, I look back and laugh. I made a plan and I failed. Then I failed again. But I persevered. I kept going and I redirected myself. You too can redirect yourself. It won’t be easy and it will likely get ugly. I encourage you to keep going. Because eventually you will achieve your end goal if you keep fighting, and even if it does not happen the way that you hoped it would, there is likely a chance that you will be so grateful that you did not get what you so hoped for. God has a funny way of giving us an end result that is so much sweeter than anything you or I could have ever possibly imagined. Just have faith and persevere.

Imagine making a wrong turn on the way to your destination to find something beautiful that you otherwise never would have seen. Perhaps it’s a beautiful mountain scenery that takes your breath away or ocean blue waves for miles with the most gorgeous beach houses along the coast. There’s something beautiful in the unexpected. The unknown can be terrifying, yet magical. So when life alters your plans and sends you down a road of uncertainty, let it terrify you and go for it anyway!