A Real Goal Getter: Part I

We’ve all heard the saying that if you don’t know what you want, you won’t know when you get it.

Now there are those people who maintain an unconflicted existence where this is concerned. They always knew that they wanted. At six-years-old they found their passion and set themselves like a planet in its orbit onto their goal.

Then there’s me.

Maybe you can relate to my story, so I’ll share it with you. When I entered college, my goal was in journalism, ideally an investigative reporter or the more lofty title “foreign correspondent.” I felt I had the natural curiosity, creativity and sense of humor to be good at the job. I envisioned being a roving NPR reporter.

At least until my novel sold.

Somewhere along the line I got sidetracked. And I’ll tell you what happened, because it took me a while to put my thumb on it and maybe I can save you this mistake – the School of Journalism required an assigned advisor, and my issues with authority figures were so intense that I switched majors rather than submit. That’s a regret I’ve carried for a long time, that I resisted an authority figure put in place specifically for my benefit. But see, I was learning to navigate my own ship under my own steam and I was doing a pretty sloppy job of it. I didn’t want anyone to know that (like it was a big secret), nor did I appreciate what I viewed as scrutiny.

So yes, as time passes, there are definitely those days when I wish I could walk back to my college campus and say, “You know, I really didn’t explore my options while I was here. How’s about we start again, because now I know what I don’t know.”

When I think of how pretty my Colorado campus was, and how much time I wasted hiding incompetence I was supposed to possess at that age, I feel pretty silly. I guess everyone looks back with that observation.

More on that next time…

--Laura