Risks I took that yielded much Awesome
I'm thrilled to be a new contributor, so I thought I'd crack the proverbial champagne bottle with a list of crazy things I've done that changed my life for the way-better.
1. Flew solo at the lunch table in 7th grade. Yes, that's right. I realized that the "friends" I had weren't friends at all and turned myself into a temporary outcast by choice. However I soon befriended much better, kinder schoolmates, and I'm positive that this ballsy move inspired self-confidence and a sense of personal ethics that have served me well ever since.
2. Went to a small college in Nashville, Tennessee, where I knew basically nobody. Yeah, this decision was touch and go for the first year what with me being a city girl transplanted in the land of Country, but I was determined to step out and give it a real shot (see item #1). I ended up with some wonderful friendships, incredible professors and, best of all, I met my husband there.
3. Moving to North Carolina with said husband after college. My family was still in Chicago at the time, and I'm incredibly close with them, but I had a feeling that N.C. (his home state) was the best choice for us. Four years later, we own our own home, can get by on way less moolah than in a bigger city, and my fam just moved here to boot!
4. Supporting the mister's career change. Three years ago my wildly academic husband—he studied Greek and Hebrew in college—went from being a youth minister to a police officer in just a few short months. Sure there's danger, and we've been privy to our fair share of tragedies, but he's helping people and growing into his own skin in ways we couldn't have anticipated. The uniform is an added bonus.
5. Quitting my day job. About that...I found gainful employement (in my field!) pretty much right away after moving to N.C., but I just resigned to stay home with my baby boy who's about to turn two, focus on getting my master's degree, and chase a longtime creative dream. The proof isn't in the pudding yet, but I can feel that this choice is gonna lead to all kinds of awesome.
How about you? Done anything nutty that turned out great?
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13 comments:
Oh my gosh, that's too funny! Literally only moments ago, I finished writing a list entitled: "Spectacularly Dumb Things I've Done That Turned Out Pretty Okay" -- clearly great minds are thinking alike here.
Yay, Erin, glad to have you on board! One of the risks I took that turned out awesome was that I e-mailed a BIG NAME blogger once just to say hi and "we wrote a similar article" and she ended up using my stuff for another BIG NAME blog. It turned me from talking to myself to talking to about, oh, three more people, but at least I wasn't so lonely any more on the old blogosphere. :)
Great list!
I ended a long term relationship las year. Best decision of my life!
Some may ( like my kids) think that 5 years ago I took a chance and met someone online and accepted a plane ticket to Hawaii... Well, we are 5 years strong (almost 5)... even tho he is there and I am here we have that connection that just doesn't break...
@nakedredhead: Good for you, dude! Link please! We'll get this audience up to four... ;-)
i too went to a small college in nashville tn. perhaps it was the same one. i knew no one there. it was great.
Yea for #1 Erin--that kind of courage deserves the upmost respect.
As for your #2, my guess is that you would be twice as successful (and still managed to inadvertently meet your husband) had you graduated from that other small university down the street there in Nashvegas...
I ran away from home with my then-fiancé of 1 month (and boyfriend before that of 2 months) in June '08 and we got married in a podunk little courthouse in upstate NY 2 days later... and my family still loves me. and we are still honeymooningly, disgustingly in love. i think that counts as a risk that turned out quite well :) not to mention, running away from home means you suddenly have to be grown up. which i think has worked out well too.
I love the Fierce Beagle, btw Erin, and as the nanny of a 2.5 year old (and a really-wants-to-be-a-mommy-herself kind of girl) i coo every time you post stories about Ethan. And (being a lurking lurker who checks FB every day for new posts and never comments) I thought your post on leaving your job and focusing on education and motherhood was really wonderful and inspiring! :)
Meeting up with a boy I liked from online, meeting in person. Very SCARY risk but now we're hopelessly in love and he's making all my dreams come true <3 hehe
This is inspiring - I hope 2010 will be my year of adventure.
I also went to college knowing nobody, except my school had around 40,000 students. it didn't seem so crazy at the time, but looking back, I am pretty darn proud of myself for doing it and for the person I became because I did it.
Ditto on the small Nashville college. And I met my husband there too! What school was it?
Study abroad in Paris during the summer of my senior year in college. It gave me the confidence I needed to end a bad relationship, the passion for travel, and the self-esteem I craved to move forward with my life.
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