Lighting Your Path Alone Isn’t Fun

Lighting your path alone is not the way to go. When we are lighting our path alone, we inevitably face anxiety, loneliness, and sometimes depression.

If you have no idea what you’re doing with your life after graduation, you are not alone. It’s time we stop trying to take on the responsibility of finding our purpose by ourselves, and it’s time we start leaning on others more.

I was in my last semester of college, and I knew that it was time to figure out what I was supposed to do with my life. I had student debt I had to start paying off, and I had to make as much money as possible before that first payment was due.

My last year of college was spent away from my fiancé James, which didn’t help the situation. I was making decisions that weren’t going to affect me but were also going to affect him.

This only added pressure to the entire situation. I was dealing with so much anxiety behind closed doors, and I wasn’t allowing anyone else to see it because it wasn’t fair to James, who was thousands of miles away on a deployment. Why show him the emotions I’m dealing with when I know it will only make him feel guilty for not being here?

So, I dealt with this anxiety on my own. I tried taking life into my own hands to determine my future.

Placing your future in your own hands, without focusing on Christ, never works.

It is incredible how many times I have tried to take matters into my own hands. Whether it was trying to bring in more photography business, trying to do more on campus, or just trying to force a path for my future that wasn’t meant to be, I was always trying to light my own path.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There is NOTHING WRONG with lighting your path. However, if you don’t focus on where the light is coming from in your lantern, then you’re doing it wrong. Trying to light your path without any assistance will lead to anxiety and frustration.

For me, my light comes from Christ. He is the one who assists me in lighting my lamp and guiding my path. While I understand not everyone is spiritual, I strongly believe in leaning on others to help you along your journey. For me, that happens to be my Heavenly Father.

So, if you have no plans right now, if you’re facing a graduation date with absolutely zero ideas on what to do next, breathe. Reach out to those around you, not the ones who try to pressure you or make you feel worse about not having the next step, but those who can understand where you are.

To the person who is receiving the call for help: be an empathic person. Place yourself where they are. Step off of your path for just a moment, to step onto theirs and see if you can help with their light. Even when we have Christ at the center of our lives, discipleship is REAL. Having friends, family members, or mentors, who can place themselves in your shoes, is irreplaceable and needs to be utilized.

I received a job offer that had nothing to do with my degree. I work in Marketing, and I’m in good ole Tennessee. If you had asked me last year or even earlier this year, I would’ve told you that you would be able to find me in Virginia or D.C. after graduation. Well, when we make plans, God laughs.

This brings me to another point: if you are graduating college and you are explicitly focusing on obtaining a job that has to do with your major…. STOP. ABORT MISSION.

            (Obviously, if you got a degree in a very specific thing… find a job in that.)

I obtained a degree in Political Science. I have no idea how Photoshop works, I’m learning as I go, and there is nothing wrong with taking a job you weren’t planning to get your start in the working world.

Here are the key takeaways from this little chat:

1. Stop trying to light your path yourself. You were not made to carry a hefty responsibility. Lean on others. Whether that be Christ, friends, and family, or mentors. There are people in your life who want to be there for you, but you have to let them.
2. Your plans may not work out. This is a hard pill to swallow but TRUST me when I say that once you accept this hard reality, it becomes so much easier to live life.
3. Don’t be so stuck in your ways that you miss an incredible opportunity. When we put goggles on that force us to only search for jobs we got a degree in, we miss out on awesome opportunities.