Before I turned 25 I didn't really understand what path I was moving on. I knew where I didn’t want to be and I knew that I had to work. Those are the two things I was absolutely sure of.  I didn’t finish college and I was no longer so confident in my choice to dropout. I was not sure about my relationship at the time. I was not sure about finances. even though nothing seemed to be dramatically wrong on the outside, I was becoming pretty lonely and confused.

     24 was a year of being confused about a lot of things that were starting to matter as I was now an adult. I mean, I was already an adult but I was still figuring it all out. I had a lot of negative things continuously happening and I just didn't understand what else I was supposed to do. What was my purpose? Then I turned 25…

    On the last few months on the road to turning 25 I woke up. I decided what I wanted and I would only give things a few months to either come together or move on. This was a big decision because I knew it would affect me financially, but I knew if I wanted to stop feeling stuck I had to make changes. For a while things were going great. Bills were getting paid, relationship was stable, work was good. Then everything fell apart all at once. That's when I knew I had to go through with my plan. I had to do what I said I would do to break this cycle I kept finding myself in.

    I started to move with purpose. As much as I wish that I hadn't given myself a "grace" period, I needed it. I needed to really prove to myself that I was right about my decision. I had to prove to myself, that I needed to let things go and move on with my life.  Since I decided to move with purpose things in my life have changed so much. Things that I always wanted to do, came to me. Things that I never thought I'd get the opportunity to do, came my way. My life was moving forward again.

    Moving with purpose made me realize that I need to stick closer to who I am. Not saying that I lost who I was, but I was living to accommodate others. I was stopping my own progress. I needed to focus on me and be selfish in my actions. I needed to do the things that I always wanted to do even if I had to do it alone.

    In 2017 I learned that I was right. I knew I had created my own problem and stopped my own growth. I learned that I had to claim what was mine and go for it. Stop allowing the "right now" affect my future. Having this new attitude led me to meet some amazing people in 2017. If I had not met the people that I did, a lot of the things I was able to do would have not been possible. More importantly, if I had not decided to move with purpose I would NOT be where I am at today.

  Though I have not completely figured out my life, I have learned a very important lesson. Make decisions with purpose and stop second guessing myself. I have felt much more fulfilled in 2017 to now than I have ever felt. I am thankful for the hard times I have experienced because it shaping the person I am and becoming.

    So my advice to you is to be purposeful in your actions, conversations and even in your down time. Figure out what it is you need to focus on and get to it. Make it happen. Set a timeline for yourself and get going. Cut the dead connections. Build new relationships, build a strong network and build your future.Move with purpose.

Then I turned 26....

-Keep Moving Forward