For most of us, the last few months in lockdown have been the ultimate time for some well needed self-care and re-evaluation.
I’ve had a lot of time to self-reflect and I’ve been going back and forth about my career and how to get started about a thousand times.
If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t like being in the “back and forth” mindset or in the grey area. You like to know exactly what your next move is and have every step mapped out.
At this point, you may have already dabbled in a few different industries, changed university courses twice, and still feel no further forward than you did when you were 15.
For a while it felt to me like I had a career related writers block.
Before I get to the main point of this post, here’s a small insight into my life.
My childhood was heavily revolved around sports and competition. I was a competitive figure skater for 12 years and this took me all around the world and allowed me to experience my life in so many exciting environments.
My day to day life consisted of rhinestones and sequins, early mornings and freezing cold ice rinks.
Being a competition kid meant that I was used to the varied pressures that came to present themselves in early adulthood.
For a very long time, I believed that skating would be my whole life and my career. I gave up when I was 18, when I realised that I needed to put the wheels in motion and properly consider what I would really like do for a living.
When dreaming of my future career, I always took my inspiration from my favourite chick flick idols. I decided I would either work in a publishing house, be a ruthless Editor and Chief (who looks just like Meryl Streep) at an elite fashion brand or a magazine journalist writing about classic dating faux pas in the Big Apple.
Of course, these all seemed extremely realistic to my 14 year old self. It was probably a mixture of these films that ultimately led me to do a degree in journalism.
But what about after university? After school?
What happens when we’re flung into adulthood headfirst with no roadmap?
The words “real job” have been embedded in my brain for about the last 5 years, and it’s no less daunting at 22 than it was at 17.
Getting started is not an easy thing. The early stages of anything are often filled with procrastination and a whole load of doubt. But there are a few things to do that can make the reality of it a lot less scary.
First things first, accept that fear is completely natural and that nothing rewarding ever comes from playing it safe.
As we all know, comfort zones are our warm and cosy sweet spots. But unfortunately, anything remotely exciting or gratifying usually lies just outside of it.
Secondly, grunt work is always necessary. And thirdly, understand that things won’t happen overnight. Patience has always been and will always be, the key.
Now I’ve been fascinated by the wedding industry since I can remember. Romantic comedies taught me everything I needed to know about them and after watching ‘27 Dresses’ about 150 times, I practically feel like an expert already.
The industry is ingrained in my DNA as I’ve watched my mum be the successful entrepreneur that she is for so many years. Yes, she’s the CEO of the Wedding Academy.
So with all of this in mind, I’ve finally decided to take the metaphorical leap and take my first steps to becoming a certified wedding planner.
This was a very daunting concept to me at first, but I’m here to hopefully offer a little bit of an insight and help you through your journey, as I experience mine.
It’s an exciting new chapter and I can’twait to share it with all of you!
Summer x
