Today’s “what I wish I knew then” perspective is from a 40-something graphic designer living in NYC. She reflects on career paths and passion.
On “work life balance”
I wish tricky…but you need to be confident enough to slow down and trust your instincts. I think that you are thoughtful and considerate about your job instead of just taking the next thing, then YOU are making the decisions and the work will come easy to you. If you get joy from what you are doing and thinking about then why wouldn’t you be able to have a relationship? If you are caught up in the anxiety and the pressure of being a workaholic and trying to accomplish something to get recognition and always waiting for the pat on the back…then there is no way. You will have no time because all you’re work is for somebody else.
On career path
I thought that life was a straight line. I thought that being adult meant “arriving” somewhere. That you arrive and that is who you are….whether that means the house, the car, the kids or whatever your dream is. I thought there was a certain plateau and you get there and you stay there. But it turns out, and what is so marvelous about life, is that those plateaus are happening all the time. It’s just a matter of being open to them and it’s not something to be afraid of. When I realized that— wonderful things happening to me. I was like, “Oh wow! Now what?” Know I know there’s always more. There’s always more.
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It’s worth mentioning that while in the design field now in her twenties she at first studied to be a lawyer then worked as a waitress, then went back to study psychology via Harvard’s night program while working full time and becoming regional sales manager for a national retailer, moved to San Francisco and had a career production and advertising before arriving at design. Can’t wait to see what is next!