Saturday, August 2, 2008

Control Your own Destiny or someone else will- Jack Welch

I popped over to Change is Brewing and her most recent blog struck some inspiration in me.

I am mad at Jack Welch for that quote. What if WANT someone to control my destiny? PLEASE tell me what I'm supposed to do, because after 26 years I am damn tired of trying to figure it out on my own. Communism (OH! or sameness. Remember The Giver? Lois Lowry was on to something! If I didn't know any better I would have thought she was in the middle of a Quarterlife Crisis when she thought of this idea)- now that is what I'm talking about! (ok. calm down for a second. Hear me out)

In these settings you are told what you should do with your life. This eliminates all kinds of fun stuff that Americans fight daily for the freedom to protect, but this doesn't sound half bad when choosing a path from the plethora makes your head spin. For your entire life, you only had one or two options that were both structured and goal orientated. This setting was, for the most part, in education to become whatever you chose to be (because how many people knew what they wanted to be at 13 and are currently doing that? I, personally, wanted to be a junkie thanks to that retarded PSA in the 90s). Education only gets you so far. Having so much structure for so long and then being thrown into the big bad working world of reality doesn't prepare you for anything but an almost immediate mental breakdown. It's a huge life adjustment that no one warns you about. You might study to be an accountant and realize something else is your true calling. Most people are not currently in or will ever be in the field they studied. So what the fuck was the point of the degree in the first place? Once you are out of school, there is no syllabus outlining the rest of your life; there isn't even a suggestion. The sky is the limit, which is fabulous and all, but what if having those infinite possibilities is the demise of what you truly could have been? I can straight up admit I am scared shitless of my potential. Can you admit that?

Let's be honest, no one wants to talk about failed jobs and how they are going to make rent on time, but instead about who is successful. Being that society only focuses on the few that have made it at a young age many people don't realize that there are far more 20 and 30 somethings that don't have it together and are still struggling to find themselves let alone a successful career and family. And there is NOTHING wrong with this. But since it is not widely talked about, those having these problems think there is something wrong with them. Which is one of the many symptoms of a Quarterlife Crisis.

Everyone makes fun of me for using this term. The next time you want to vent to me about wanting to have children or wishing you were still in college or hating your entry level job, don't give me shit for telling your retard ass you are experiencing symptoms of the QLC (like I'm a therapist or something. ha)

The more I talk to people in their 20s, the more I realize we are all together floundering around in this cesspool of inequity. How superb it is to find out it's not just me. Who's down for moving to China? OR better yet, who would like to be in charge of my destiny? I'm down for ownership.

6 comments:

Andie said...

Very thoughtful, Abs!

PinkPiddyPaws said...

Well.. I have some bad news for you Queen.. it never stops! I'm in my mid/late thirties and I STILL have all sorts of worries. They worries may change over time but they are still worries. And making the rent is ALWAYS one of them! ...sigh...

LuLu said...

Very true, I'm 32 and I still have clue what I'm doing!!

Anonymous said...

Its why I am just going to marry rich and become a stay-at-home dad ... with or without the kids.

Unknown said...

well... China would not be on the top of my list of getaway destinations.

I'll be in charge of your destiny if you like. You'll have to live in a cage though. mmmkay?

Anonymous said...

There is nothing wrong with being a sheep. Sheep probably have very peaceful, content lives.
They go along with whatever the leader is doing and don't question authority.
If you want adventure and the satisfaction that comes from being the first/the best/the most talented at something, you can't follow the leader.
And I think you really do want some of that feeling.
Yeah, it's freaking difficult to figure out if you're doing shit right. I doubt myself frequently. But if I didn't take any risks, where would I be?
Probably back in my small town, working a cashier job at K-Mart.
That doesn't sound like a great life to me. But I see so many people living that kind of life and they are content with it.
So yeah- I totally respect that.