So I’m sitting here in Starbucks trying to figure out my life (haha good luck with that) and I decided to write down my life goals. Then I remembered an earlier blog entry I wrote called “The List.” I made it about a year and a half ago about the goals, silly and serious, that I wanted to achieve one day. So I pulled it up to see if they matched my current goals and whether I had done any of them yet. I’m proud to say that yes, I did learn to surf in Hawaii. But that was about the extent of my goal achieving triumphs. Most of the others remain yet to be touched. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. Some of my goals I know will take many years before they take shape.
As I grow older my priorities and goals seem to be shifting, sometimes so subtly that even I don’t notice at first. But notice I have, and that leads me to do some serious reflecting and soul searching to figure what direction my life is heading. Who knew that turning 25 could lead to such a dramatic quarter-life crisis (Does that even exist?). I think our modern society plays a part in this dilemma I find myself wading through. My generation is experiencing something that our parents never did. In our parent’s generation, people graduated from high school and possibly college, then got a job and settled down in their twenties. What twenty-something today really knows what they want to do with their lives? College, peacecorps, studying abroad are all ways of prolonging the time when a young adult must enter the real world and get a job and a meaningful career. The problem is that most of us can’t figure out what that life-fulfilling career should be. What will make us happy, yet still pay the bills? And by bills I mean the tremendous student debt that accumulates during those years of living in utter bliss of what lay beyond school and a life of no responsibility.
But I digress.
I really wanted to share my current life goals and where my life seems to be heading. I heard somewhere that writing down a goal increases the chances of actually achieving that goal. Let’s hope that will be the case here. Don’t laugh. Some are indeed whimsical and romantic. But a girl can dream right? Here they are in no particular order:
1. Travel, travel, travel!!! With so many friends traveling abroad to study, work, and live, I can’t help but be jealous. I think traveling to other countries is so enriching and changes your worldview and perspective on life. It’s also good for the soul to experience new adventures and meet new people.
–Backpack across Europe. If I had the time and money, I’d do this 
in an instant! There’s so many places in Europe that I’d love to visit!
–Travel to China – if Kristen ends up taking the job as a teacher in Beijing, I want to go visit her and visit the Great Wall of China. How awesome would that be?
–Visit the Philippines – I’m half Filipino and this was also where my Dad was born. I feel the desire to see the country and experience the culture there.
–Go to World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid, Spain – how cool would that be to be amongst thousands of Catholics from around the world? It would be a simply amazing and powerful faith experience.
–Travel in South America – then I could work on my Spanish while having amazing adventures.
–There are so many places that I’d love to travel to but I think I’ll stop here or I’ll be at this all night. Donations to the Deborah Travel Fund will gladly be accepted. ; )
2. Work on my music and ministry career – I love youth ministry and speaking and music and somehow it would be nice to use a combination of all those in a ministry job that paid well…hmm is that possible?
3. Work on music technology/recording skills – recording and mixing music is one of my passions, but I have not delved much into it…yet
4. Become a coffee shop singer-songwriter. And then record a CD.
5. Meet someone who makes me laugh, encourages my heart to be joyful, inspires me to live out my faith everyday and challenges me to grow into a better person. (I don’t know when I’ll meet this mystery guy but I do know that the wait will be worth it for not settling for less than what I deserve.)
6. Have a family – I love families and I hope to have my own one day… See #5
7. Inspire people to live their lives to the fullest by doing so myself.
Lastly, here are some cool quotes I thought I’d share with you:
Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do. –Pope John XXIII
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. –Howard Thurman
A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. –Maya Angelou
I haven’t got it all figured out but at least I’m singing my song. Well that’s all for now. If you actually made it this far, thanks for reading this. Goodnight!
yours truly,
a girl who dreams
