MB

Howdy again. I am currently sitting in my first “adult” apartment in quite the scenery change from what has been my normal for so long in College Station. For starters the couch can actually be considered as comfortable. My 9-5 is done for the day and the living hours have just started. There are no syllabuses, late night exam cramming, or monotonous class lectures anymore.

In light of this big change and new life, I decided it is due time to post. Just as approaching big change draws sentiment, incurring big change brings reflection.

Being born in 2000 is one of my biggest flexes.

For starters, it’s incredibly easy to remember how old I am.

But on a deeper level I’ve always been a numbers person.

I love math because it follows rules- it’s one of the only things in life that’s predictable and there’s an enormous level of comfort in that.

With that in mind, it’s not surprising that (through my lack of emotional abilities) I resonate with certain numbers deeply.

To provide some critical values to this year, I spent most of it being 22 years old and graduated from the Texas A&M University as class of ’22. Twenty-two is one of my favorite numbers for obvious reasons.

I am working through developing my “2022 Nutshelled”. Every year (since 2018) I have created a highlighted summary of the year broken down into accomplishments, lessons learned, and failures. I’ve historically struggled with reminiscing and putting my thoughts into words but this habit helps me grow in both areas. It also allows me to gain a clearer perspective of the past when revisited. I highly recommend implementing this in your own life.

One of my goals this past year was to embrace vulnerability with enthusiasm and view change as unlimited opportunity. This was a bold feat for someone who falls on the more extreme end of the introvert scale and primarily finds true peace in planning. And, while I have a lot to grow in, I have also put forth effort in achieving this goal.

Reading over my past nutshelled years, 2018 resonated with me a lot. I’ve often looked back to that year and wrote it off as a gratitude of it’s ending. There was a lot of struggle and hurt that accompanied those days. One of the biggest being my first rejection from Texas A&M which began the hard process of fighting for it.

But perspective is so important, and I now look back to 2018 with gratitude. That “closed door” of rejected admission I see now as a gentle nudge towards the right direction. Having to earn being admitted into A&M instilled a level of determination, patience, and faithfulness in chasing dreams with reckless abandonment. I owe much of who I am today to that process.

Reflecting over 2022 brings a mix of emotions. The dreams and goals that I’ve had for so long became a reality. Being able to see that unfold and reveal itself over these past 4 years is a level of gratitude and pride that I struggle to put into words. This year has also been one of tremendous change- I turned 22 in March, earned my Aggie ring in April, graduated college in May.

The first half of the year alone felt like a whirlwind, it’s crazy how much has happened and how displaced time feels.

In the past 6 months I accepted an offer from Charles Schwab as a business analyst, my absolute dream job. I moved from my beloved cstat apartment into my parents house (they graciously let me invade their space for several months). In December I signed on my condo. This has felt like 5 years of changes packed into the latter half of the year and I am so dang elated to be here. It feels right. It feels good.

On an ending note, while developing my 2022 Nutshelled, I pulled together lessons I’ve learned this year and wanted to share a few:

Give people more than they expect and do it joyfully.

Never teach a pig how to sing. It will only leave the teacher frustrated and the pig feeling inadequate.

Freedom is not the absence of boundaries, it is the ability to fulfill created intent.

You can do it like it’s a great weight on your shoulders or you can do it like it’s a part of the dance.

Do something every day that: scares the hell out of you, teaches you something, and finds a way to say thank you.

Opinions do not define your reality.

Have enthusiasm based on knowledge.

Change is not inherited, it is a choice.