Things I have learned outside of college

I'm learning to....

Slow down- People are more important than tasks, accomplishments, and goals. I am a runner in my daily life, both in exercise and tasking. Even if I don't have to be anywhere I am running; from my car into the grocery store, up and down the stairs, in and out of the gym. I run because I feel accomplished when a list of tasks is completed and errands are done. It makes me feel driven and productive and disciplined and capable. In college I used to clean my house, my car, go to the grocery store, and do all my laundry by Sunday so I could be set up for success all week long. Now, I'm learning to pick a couple of tasks and be okay with a small amount of life chaos in order to love people with intentionality and enjoy life. 

Be thankful for every season- Post college, I have learned that real life isn't quite as exciting as college. When you could once skip your Friday classes for a weekend getaway with girlfriends, invite 10 girls over for dinner and bachelor night on a Monday, and exercise between your 10 am and 1 pm class, life is now filled with responsibility and commitments you can't neglect, it becomes fairly routine, and tomorrow always seems to come really fast. I really want to find joy in the mundane, sweetness in the simple, and glimmers of hope and happiness in the hardships. I want to live a life that recognizes how rich a conversation over a happy hour with a friend can be mid work week. I want to remember to recognize cooking with my boyfriend after a long days work is therapy to my soul.  I want to see life as an opportunity to be thankful for the sweet blessings I often take for granted. Sometimes that looks like writing 10 things I'm thankful for in a journal because life is feeling really hard and I'm having trouble weeding through the hardships to find the blessing. 

Be secure with an unprotected self- In college I feel like I sat through so many lectures about how to "sell yourself," interview well, and portray a very stable, smart, and put together person. I think there is something to be said about stability in your identity in the Lord, but beyond that I am learning that people are looking for real, authentic, straight forward community. We have been conditioned to compete with one another, to be perfect, and to have all our ducks in a row, but I want to be approachable and open. Stable in the Lord but recognizing how terribly I need his grace every day. 

 Be a reader- I never used to read outside of academics in college. There just was not enough time. My brain already felt like I was soaking up tons of information and I just couldn't think of putting anything else in there. I have learned to love reading post college. I think its important to continue to have a heart for learning. I want to be a person that desires growth and change forever so lately I've been doing some reading.

There is an exhaustive list of things I'm learning post college, but these are just a few.