The Year of ________: Why Every Year Should Be YOUR Year

Do you ever have that monumental, cataclysmal moment before Christmas, but after Thanksgiving, that something is missing? Maybe you felt that these past 10-11 months have been completely wasted, and NOW is the time for change. Perhaps it’s time for a new job, a new hobby or a new man? Although these passing thoughts are inevitable, and important at the closing of another year, it’s important to realize that every year should be a time of change and motivation to be a better version of yourself.

I remember where I was last year. Fresh off the heels of receiving my Bachelor’s degree, I was ready to conquer the world. I was ready to get a new job, and find the success I thought a degree would supply me. Unfortunately, my first job after graduation was not as idyllic as I assumed it would be. The money and Monday-Friday schedule was something new to my 22 year old self who was used to working weekends. When I realized my new job was what I dreaded most in this world, I knew everything I expected for myself was not realistic. I was 22 and completely unhappy.

Three months into my new job I quit. No two weeks, no biding my time for a year until it got better, I just…quit. I can’t describe the complete feeling of relief and elation I felt the moment I walked out of the small doctor’s office I called my place of business. Word of advice: ‘marketing’ in a doctor’s office doesn’t really exist. It’s mostly a lot of filing. I worked with four other women who didn’t see any value in my job or what I was hired for. Every day was a power struggle between me and my new co-workers. I didn’t feel welcomed, and I didn’t feel like I had a real role in my environment. So, it was to my profound disappointment that my first job outside of college was a complete and utter failure.

Last year wasn’t all bad though. The moment I quit, I was offered a promotion at the business I worked at all through college. The pay couldn’t match what I was making at my marketing job, but it was still something I could live off of. Since April, I have been a manager at an amazing business that always provided me with learning, appreciation and most importantly, happiness. Of course, it’s not what I saw myself doing right after college, but it’s still a job that allows me to live on my own and completely support myself. So maybe my 2014 goal didn’t give me the exact job I wanted out of college, but it did provide an enormous growth step that I didn’t expect.

For 2015, I’m challenging myself even more. I hope to travel much more than I did last year, and I hope to write more frequently and vividly than before. 2015 could be the year of Jackie, but most importantly I think it will just be another exciting year in which I will put my best foot forward in everything I do.