WHEN MY GAP YEAR TURNED FIVE

TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE

The older I get the more aware I am of this. Lately, I have been thinking about how quickly time seems to be flying past. If I am being completely honest, I cannot help but get into a little panic sometimes. It feels like only yesterday I completed college and decided to take time out before carrying on with my higher education. Yet here I am almost five years and 23 years old about to embark on my university education. Sometimes when I think of how much time has gone past I cannot help but get a little anxious about waiting so long.

PANIC, WHY?

There are a lot of things that I would like to accomplish in my life and like most people (or maybe is just me) I like to put a time frame on them.  I have come to learn that dreams, remain dreams and never moves into the goal setting and achieving category if there is no time frame around it.  For example, If I wish to visit Bali, but if I keep saying and never actually set a time in which I would like to go, I will probably keep saying that till the day I die. Sounds drastic, but the things that we say set our minds and action in motion. So by saying, I would love to visit Bali next year in the summer, I will automatically start thinking of how to fund this trip and make it a reality.

DO NOT BE SO RIGID

Having learnt this lesson about myself has really helped to make realistic goal setting and achieve them. But I have noticed that it can sometimes limit the vision and cause me to rush and feel left behind. For example, to have completed university at this age rather than be starting. Let us just say my life has not exactly gone to plan as I set while in my teens. I took a bit of a detour. After college, I went to work and decided I would go to university later on when I was most confident on my course and career choice. While some people may take a gap year to do this your girl is in her fifth year.

I have applied to university almost every year and each of those times I have differed my course dates. There are times where I have considered dumping the whole idea. Afterall I have a good job that pays well. I could instead take the alternative route to my main career of choice. There are now more than ever other ways to become a professional solicitor or barrister. But if I am being honest my biggest fear has been at most times my age. The older I get the further away it felt.

THE BEST WAY TO AGE IS GRACEFULLY

It seems irrational writing it down but nevertheless, it was something that bothered me for a while and again if I am being honest, it niggles at me every now and then. The fear isn’t about getting older, that doesn’t really bother me. You cannot beat ageing so why not join in and age gracefully? My issue remained in ageing but not accomplishing my goals alongside. It is important for me to use my twenties to lay down my foundations, set my grind. I do not want to be doing in my thirties what I should have done in my twenties.

AGE IS NOTHING BUT A NUMBER

So how am I dealing with this fear? I thank God for my family and friends. Having an inner circle of friends, I can get real with has been a Godsend and my backbone. I am constantly being reminded of the things I have accomplished during my gap five years. I also know that I have made these years fruitful. The growth I have experienced as a person is something to be proud of. More so I am learning that age is nothing more than a number. It is not to be a hindrance and determining the factor of where you should be. There are people of a certain age we would expect to be wiser and yet more than enough times we have all experience a child shows more wisdom than the adult.

A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT

I want to encourage anyone who may feel like they are behind on the things they want to gain in their life for whatever reason that it still within their reach if they want it. It is not going to be easy. They are going to be obstacles, however if you want it passionately enough the obstacles can and will be turned into bridges and foundations to which you can look back and say this is how far I have come and this is what made me the woman you see today, but she is still becoming and it may take a while which is why it is not for the faint-hearted.

Post Qoute

” time is very slow for those who wait, very fast for those are scared. very long for those who lament. very short for those who celebrate. but for those who love, time is eternal”

 William Shakespeare

Leave A Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *