Living for Someday is No Way to Live
by Ellen Nordahl on June 6, 2010
Three months ago, I would have scoffed at the idea of renewing my lease and settling down into post-collegiate life in Madison. Phase one of my Wisconsin exit strategy was in full swing – I networked like a banshee at SXSW, contacted everyone from alumni to people my mom sends Christmas cards to, and was geared up to send out job applications en masse. When I got a call to interview for a position here in Madison at Epic, I figured if anything, I should take the chance to sharpen my skills. For once, I wasn’t a bundle of nerves during an interview, and things went surprisingly well. In spite of that, I was still shocked when I got a call two weeks later offering me a position as a Recruiter.
That wasn’t part of The Plan.
For the better part of the last few years, I’ve been living only for the future. Rarely have I done something spontaneously simply because it’s rewarding in and of itself – most everything has been a component of some overarching “bigger picture” that I’ve thoughtfully mapped out (and I did literally map it out as part of a long-term career path project for my capstone marketing course). I somehow convinced myself that it wasn’t a big deal that I had no social life because I’d have one someday. I’d stick my neck out and try to make some new friends someday. I’d be happy…someday.
Here’s one thing you won’t learn in business school: there’s something wholly unsatisfying about living your life as though it’s a 5 year corporate strategy. Maybe that strikes many of you as being obvious, but as someone who thrives in a structured environment, that realization hasn’t come to me overnight. It’s easy to get sucked into the mentality that you’ll achieve that elusive sense of completion once you starting hitting the milestones of The Plan. I hit the first milestone when I landed my gig at a marketing firm here; to put it bluntly, I didn’t feel fulfilled in the slightest.
So when I accepted my new job, I threw The Plan out the window. To paraphrase Jason Fried, plans are irrelevant. Externalities are a bitch. You’ll run yourself ragged (and miss the bigger picture) if you always try to re-chart your course of action to accommodate for them.
The question I wish I had been asking myself throughout my job search is “What do I want to be TODAY?” Many of us get so caught up in the throes of finding the elusive “perfect job” that we rarely pause to re-evaluate and expand our search to consider other options. Had I stuck to the straight and narrow of my idealized career path, chances are I’d still be grinding away doing the same rather uninspiring work that I should have loved because I loved my major. Yikes.
For the time being, the future I’m concerned with extends only as far as next weekend (don’t worry Mom, I’m still contributing to my 401(k)), and it’s liberating in a way I never expected.
Stop micromanaging your life and living for someday. All the planning and foresight in the world is useless if it causes you to miss tremendous opportunities that are right in front of you. Feeling directionless is terrifying, but so is being blind to a world of unconsidered possibilities.
{ 20 comments }
Check Your Ego at the Door: The Appreciation Revolution
by Ellen Nordahl on May 13, 2010
I was thrilled to write a guest post for Samantha Karol’s Appreciation Revolution series over at her wonderful blog, Life is Like a Box of Chocolates. I admire her mission to encourage us to think more about how and why we appreciate the people and things that make our lives truly meaningful.
To read my post about how true appreciation is completely lacking in self-interest, click here. Be sure to check out the other great posts in her series!
{ 0 comments }
The Hardest Help to Ask For
by Ellen Nordahl May 5, 2010A few weeks ago, the weekly #u30pro Twitter chat dealt with how to ask for help at work. I doled out my two cents on the subject without a moment’s hesitation – I’ve never had a problem going to others for their advice when it comes to tackling issues of a non-personal nature. Since that [...]
Three Things Worth Investing In (Especially During the Job Hunt)
by Ellen Nordahl April 27, 2010If you’re like most young professionals (or soon-to-be graduates), chances are you’re not exactly rolling in the benjamins. In spite of your limited cash flow, there are three essentials that are worthwhile investments, especially if you’re still in the throes of the job hunt. The emphasis here is that these are investments, and as such, [...]
Analysis Paralysis: A Little Less Thought, A Little More Action
by Ellen Nordahl April 23, 2010Given the abandon with which I jumped into the blogging world, you might be surprised to find that the lag time between buying my domain name and publishing my first post was 5 months…and the blog itself was in idea-gestation phase for nearly a year before I claimed my online space. By some stroke of [...]
The Great Paradox: Vulnerability and True Happiness
by Ellen Nordahl April 12, 2010At this time last year, I was a month away from graduating and should have felt on top of the world. In reality, I was terribly lonely, unhappy, and scared out of my wits about the future…and I’d fallen out of touch with everyone who could relate to what I was experiencing. I had managed [...]
Opposites Don’t Always Attract: When to Run for the Hills
by Ellen Nordahl April 7, 2010I’m no stranger to the old adage “opposites attract” – looking back on some of my past relationships leaves me wondering exactly how I ever managed to date someone so dissimilar from myself. There’s a certain novelty to being in a relationship with someone who challenges your status quo, and sometimes, finding a yin to [...]
Whoever said “It’s what’s inside that counts” is a liar.
by Ellen Nordahl March 28, 2010While I was out to eat with some of my favorite people from SXSW, the conversation turned to the documentary “The September Issue” and the surprising differences between the two most powerful women of Vogue: Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington.
Anna Wintour and who?
Precisely.
For all her genius, Grace Coddington is hardly a household name. She is [...]
Don’t Rain On My Parade: Leaving Naysayers and Frenemies Behind
by Ellen Nordahl March 22, 2010Since I’ve been living sans-roommate, I’ve become more cognizant of how the moods of those around me impact my own mood. Not every day as Ellen is a beautiful-day-in-the-neighborhood kind of day, but by and large, I try my best to focus on the positive and roll with the punches.
I’m an ENFJ – and a [...]
Everything’s Bigger In Texas (Except My Self-Confidence): Impostor Syndrome at SXSW
by Ellen Nordahl March 18, 2010This past week has been full of firsts.
I just got back from my first SXSW, which, along with being the first career-related conference I’ve ever been to, was my first time traveling alone. It was also the first time I fully realized that, like so many of my good friends and peers, I’m plagued by [...]
← Previous Entries
