The In Betweens

I wanted to be a marine biologist once. Then thought about putting time into world religions and all things philosophical. But then I majored in Political Economy and was stuck on becoming a researcher for the underground sex industry in the Philippines. And then I traveled and, well, that just opened the door to a whole new world of career possibilities—travel writer, international hospitality, English teacher, bartender, etc.

And now I’m a personal trainer.

Yeah, I know, nowhere in the first paragraph does it mention anything about fitness or training or anything gym related, but I’ve come to the conclusion that you can’t rule out the in betweens. In the last three years, I received my degree, worked for a bank, lost friends, made friends, taught English, went through a couple countries, and had fun just doing life. But! In between those classes on Economic Theory, twenty page papers, jobs, boarder hopping, relationships, etc:

I

worked

out.

Working out is my stress reliever, my punching bag, my tissue to cry on, my just because, my sleeping pill, and my go to date on a Saturday night. It’s what I know how to do and it’s what I want to learn more about. I can’t help it. I mean, the human body is fascinating in that it changes right before your eyes with the proper diet & training. To see muscle development, feel physical progress, and just the idea of moving up in weight (50lbs leg extensions to 115lbs months later; yeah, I did that yesterday!) is so freaking mind-blowing! 

my in between: Fitness.

To bring this all full circle...

Although I could have found success as a researcher/activist for women's rights or as a travel writer, deep down I knew those fields weren't for me. The main reason why I thought about continuing my research in the Philippines is because I thought I had to; the successions of life (school, job, career, and family) or so they call it. I went to school and spent four years of my life researching Prostitution in the Philippines, it only made sense to continue on. Take it from me, if you want to be happy in life, this is not the mindset to have. And with traveling, sure, I played with the idea of not coming back, but I did. Not to demean my 8 months abroad (because it was a life changing experience) but motives to stay in Asia came from the fact that I had nothing else going for me in the States...or so I thought. 

Here's my advice: Take a look at the bigger picture. Are you where YOU want to be? Are you doing what YOU want to do? If you're not, it's okay to step back, reevaluate, and go in a completely different direction. Yes, you're circumstances may be different from mine and mine from yours, but we don't always have to go down an already paved road...

sometimes we need to create our own. 

Cheers to discovering your in betweens

& doing what you love to do!