Self-assessment and coming full circle

From http://www.medway.gov.uk/

One thing I’ve noticed about life in general is that there seem to be markers along the way. Markers that allow us to take some kind of inventory of our situation and how we’re progressing along the way.

A few weeks ago, I encountered one such marker.

I was sitting in a Sunday morning Athens Church service, listening to Andy Stanley’s message about his summer vacation. Of course, his definition of vacation—at least in this instance—is a little different from other people’s definition.

He and his family went to Rwanda, but his story (and it’s certainly a great message) isn’t exactly the one that’s relevant. Don’t get me wrong, but it’s the timing that’s more important in this instance.

Rewind: A year ago I heard the exact same message at Buckhead Church. I was in an internship that seemed less stimulating than it actually was, for the simple fact that I knew I didn’t want to spend myself in a cubicle.

I was enamored with the idea and the grandeur of Africa, as I had just returned from a 3-week-long study abroad trip in Tanzania, East Africa. I sensed that there was a larger purpose, some larger picture that I couldn’t fulfill by accepting a job offer from the company.

Meanwhile: In the year following, I struggled with what to do with my life. I settled on joining the US Peace Corps, in the hopes that I could help develop small businesses, teach English and conduct HIV/AIDS education sessions in Africa for 27 months. It was perfect.

But the timing wasn’t. Through a series of circumstances, my life plans drastically changed, and I could no longer wait for the Peace Corps to hand me a nomination.

So I returned to the job search.

In the process, however, I was certainly forced to look at the values that I held most dear, the values that I would not compromise in my search.

Here’s a short list of what I discovered—both about myself and about my dream job:

• The personal touch. I realized early on last summer that I wanted to know that I had a positive impact on individuals, not just the bottom lines of large corporations.
• Validation. Call it a Gen Y cliché, but I found that I wanted to know that the company for which I was working valued me. I literally wanted a pat on the back.
• Upward mobility. Not only do I want the opportunity for upward mobility, I want reassurance that it’s actually possible. That others have done it recently and are doing it now.
• Challenge. Above all, I want to come into work out of my comfort zone. I want to delve into topics about which I know absolutely nothing, and I want to succeed at them. Call it personal validation, if you will.

Sure, my internship had a few of these characteristics, but having them all? Much different story.

Fast Forward: Now, a little more than a single year later, I deeply believe that I haven’t found that job about which I was dreaming. But I’ve found a job that has a clear path to the job of my dreams.

I am tackling topics that I never studied in class. I’m meeting people from all around the country. And I’m about to move across the country.

If this isn’t challenging, I don’t know what is.

As I move past this life marker, I have the ability—nay, the gift—of being able to assess my life’s accomplishments and progress. And that’s precisely the key.

Life markers exist to keep us moving forward. To keep us in line. And to keep us on our path to self-improvement and -assessment.

I’ve always heard that those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it. But I would counter by saying this:

Life itself will repeat. It will circle back around. Take advantage of those moments, and use them to take stock of your life. Because life repeating itself isn’t a curse, but not progressing in the times between is the real curse.

So, now I’ve encountered a mile marker of sorts in my life. And I truly believe that I have grown—physically, emotionally, mentally—in the meantime.

What life markers have you encountered? Have you learned from them?