Sometimes I’m glad I don’t just toss everything right away. I’ve moved so many times in the last 10 years. Whenever I move, I find that I pack some items neatly, while others get put in a bag.
You may know approximately what’s in that bag for some time, but then you don’t open that bag for years. Finally you are cleaning out and it’s time to look inside. What do you find?
As I came home for the holiday weekend, I was sorting stuff. I feel like I’m constantly doing this. I slowly downsizing my items. It’s a process. It took me years of things sitting in boxes to finally realize I lived so long without that item, I was able to let go.
In yoga, we study and practice the 5 Yamas, one of which is Aparigraha or non-attachment. This one sticks with me the most from Yoga Teacher Training, because as a child, I was attached to every item I had. I realize now how much I held onto the past at times instead of living in the present. As an adult and with moving and growing up, I’m practicing Aparigraha more. The thing to remember is that it is a practice and you don’t have to be perfect with it. There are times when I struggle to let go and then comes a time when I can let go.
So that brings me back to this bag I was going through with a bunch of items from 2014/2015 that I threw in a bag when I packed up my apartment back in 2016.
I found a folder with all my drafted out interview questions and answers from when I first moved to Philadelphia in 2014. It also contained papers from my applying to grad school back in 2012/2013 which I didn’t end up getting accepted nor felt like the program was what I wanted after applying.
As I read through some of the questions and answers, I found this:
This gave me all the feels. I finally achieved this goal (in a different way), but my job title is now Financial Analyst. I wrote down this long term goal 8 years ago!
[Side note: This reminds me of a post on Janae’s blog about her sub 3 marathon goal which took her longer than planned. ]
I’m not specifically a senior financial analyst and I don’t work at a bank, but I am now a financial analyst. I am still new to this role but so far I love it and how much I am learning. My past self was right that this type of role would certainly challenge me more, but I have more confidence now to do the work.
I’m glad I found this as a reminder and now I’m letting go of these old papers.
I want to encourage you to write down your goals no matter how far out of reach they feel right now. Write down your goals in a journal. You might surprise yourself when you read back years later to see you actually achieved the goal even if in a different way than you expected.
Sharing is Caring:
I am happy that you achieved your goal of becoming a financial analyst. I am glad that you like it.
Such a valuable lesson.. I completely agree about sitting on boxes that have been unopened for years… then realizing, if I didn’t need it for that long, do I really need it now? I love that you found this connection to your past self and that your goals have remained so consistent – it just goes to show that when we’re true to ourselves, we end up where we are supposed to be.
Yes thanks so much Anne