Happy graduation season! In honor of this time of year, I decided to share my own personal history with feeling inadequate or that I've already peaked during a life stage transition.
It's been said that those who typically enjoyed high school also peaked in high school. This can be extremely relatable for many. I had a remarkable high school experience and loved every moment.
A little background story, I transferred to a different high school than what my middle school was supposed to feed in to. I would begin my high school season without knowing anyone or anything about the school. However, I cheered in middle school and wanted to continue that activity throughout high school. My 8th grade year, I tried out and made the cheer squad at the new high school I would be attending! (Thankfully, the month before tryouts I got my braces off! This was a great blessing since I would now have a group of girls, and a couple of friends, on the first day of school. I was also in band in middle & high school. Band camp began at the end of July, so I was also able to meet a lot of people this way, too. I spent the next three years as a cheerleader and in band, while also taking leadership positions in both. My senior year I stopped being a cheerleader and became a Drum Major (the band person at football games that would conduct on the podium during halftime). I was in all honors classes, made the honor role, went to prom three years, and received the prestigious Lighthouse Award every year from a different teacher. Then my Senior year I was part of the Homecoming court where I was crowned "Band Sweetheart" and runner up for Prom Queen in the spring. Then, on May 29, 2016, I graduated...
At this moment, I had so many lovely memories and great accomplishments throughout high school that I truly believed I had peaked. My freshman year of college my best friend at the time "took a break" from our friendship, I went to community college instead of a university (while somehow still managing to put on the "freshman fifteen"), and my family dog died.
For most people, I feel as if the transition from high school to college life can be challenging no matter what path you choose. The biggest thing to remember is that you just need to find a new groove. My sophomore year of college, my life began to turn around. It all started when I became a mom to my fur-baby, Phoebe! When this happened I had to step up as a provider. I got my first job. Then I got another one. At this point, my "first job experience" turned into having two jobs while also going to school full time and being a fur-mom. When I started to get busy, I finally found my groove again! That Spring semester, I got a job as a legal secretary where I have been for the last three years. This enabled me to make a little more income where I could pay for myself to go on a mission trip with my church to Guatemala. (A dream & a point I was able to cross off my bucket list!) The next month, I started my upperclassman years at my dream university, Dallas Baptist University.
While at DBU, my groove continued to stay in motion! I met one of my best friends, who was a bridesmaid & now a co-worker, I joined a sorority (another dream of mine at that point), and I had a close friend group again. Later, that Spring, I started dating the love of my life, and now husband, Seth Andrew Clay.
Most of this you can draw conclusions from my social media accounts. For instance, my first few years of college I mainly posted pictures of coffee shops because that was the highlight of my life at that point. Now, although I still love coffee shops, life has blessed me with so much more! I have not peaked. I am constantly growing, learning, and transforming. I am not the same person I was in high school. I am not the same person I was in college. I'm not the same person I was a year ago.
So if you're feeling like you're in a rut and you are afraid that you may have already peaked, in whatever stage of life you might be in, you haven't. If you are breathing, God has a plan for you and He is not done with you! Just keep chugging along. Do your best everyday. You'll find your groove again. Lean on God. His plans are SO much greater than ours. Although a lot of people complain about "adulting," there are many blessings that come with it. You gain knowledge, experience, & love you never knew was possible! Yes, life is hard, but life can be relatively hard at any stage you're in. You got this! More importantly, God is in control, and we know that "for those who love God all things work out for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)
Xoxo & Cheers w/ Coffee,
KatieKlairety
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