I’m going to jump right into this post today with some exciting news (exciting for me anyway😉)…I just got an internship for next semester! In addition to working at the library, I am the new Social Media and Promotions Intern for my school’s study abroad office!! I am SO excited and I can’t wait to get started.
I interviewed for the position last week and during the interview I was asked the question, “How do you prioritize your time?” At first it threw me off a little, then it took me approximately .05 seconds to blurt out, “I prioritize it based on passion.”
I thought to myself, “Crap, that makes me sound irresponsible.” After all, I have been accused of being irresponsible more than once due to my occasional, blatant, lack of effort in the educational department. I like school, I really do, and I’ve always done well because I do love learning. Additionally, Ghana has shown me how privileged I am to go to an American university. However, school just usually is not my #1 priority and it never has been. (It’s in the top 5, mom, don’t worry~while sometimes it’s a little tempting, I will not be dropping out to backpack the world😉).
In high school, I cared a lot more about running than school. During cross county and track seasons I put all of my passion and energy into that. In college, AIESEC has been what I’m most passionate about. Like, completely disregard whatever school work I’m doing, at the drop of a hat, passionate. This abundance of passion for other things is something that I felt almost bad about when I was younger. I felt like I was being irresponsible and like it was dumb to put so much effort into things that weren’t going to boost my gpa.
But then I went off to college and I started traveling again. Backpacking Europe reminded me of how incredible a city can make you feel and how magnificent the world is. It reminded me of how badly I want to see it. I met people who feel the same way that I do and want to live crazy, adventurous lives. Last semester was really hard and I ended up changing my major (I wrote about it here). While it was difficult, it showed me how important it is to be passionate because that’s what gave me direction and purpose. And honestly, me being passionate about my gpa was doomed from the start. I’ve always been a words girl with a strong dislike for numbers. I can not even muster up a little passion for a number that, in the grand scheme of things, means nothing. Would my gpa be higher if I had spent more time studying for microeconomics and less time doing research about hiking the Camino de Santiago? Probably, but I’m at peace with it and my grade ended up fine. In the long run, I will gain so much more from that hiking trip than I did from microecon.
A friend recently posted something on instagram about realizing how obsessed with her life she’s been for the past two years (Reba, I love you and you inspire me daily!❤) I thought about it and I realized that I too am completely, head over heels, in love with my life and it’s because I’m passionate and have always followed my passions instead of doing the “responsible” thing. I’ve put my heart and soul into an organization and in return I’ve gotten some incredible opportunities and have met the most amazing people who have had such a huge impact on my life. I’ve traveled the world. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I’d be able to say that by 20 but here I am, writing this blog post in a dorm room in Ghana with a few tabs open on my computer about Peru because that’s where I’m going to be in less that 2.5 months. Sure, sometimes life is really really hard and it feels overwhelming and impossible but when I reflect on it, I feel so lucky that this is my life. I feel so lucky to feel so alive and to feel so good about myself. If I could go back and tell my younger self anything, it would be to embrace how passionate I am without a second thought. I’d show her how crazy incredible my life is now because of that.
That’s what I want you to know too. If you’re passionate about something, if you have a dream, chase it with full force. Don’t worry about money, time, responsibility. You can make it work if you want it bad enough. Put your effort and love into what makes you happy and brings you joy and sparks a fire in you. Prioritizing your passions is always a good idea, it opens up your life to unimaginable beauty and people. The best damn people. It’s never too late to start putting your passions first. I promise you, it’ll be the best decision you ever make. Following your passions could lead you to foreign cities, intoxicating relationships, windowsills lined with wine bottles, a camera full of photos. It could lead you to new ideas and even deeper passions and make you feel so empowered.
So, this is your Tuesday morning reminder that your dreams are valid and that prioritizing passion isn’t irresponsible because whatever living your best, most passionate, beautiful life imaginable means to you~ you deserve to live it.
What are you passionate about?
Hugs,
Elisabeth
