What Do We Do Now?

"If you're not making money, what's the point?"

 That's what most people in our cash-hungry, product-loving, overworked society hold to heart and head. Money is the indicator, the gauge that lets us know whether or not we are doing something worthy and productive with our short lives. Who cares if you don't love your job? You don't really even have to like it all that much. If the bank account's happy, we're happy. Right? Well, sometimes. As a recent college graduate I certainly wouldn't mind if my back account's frown was a tad bit upside down. The farther away I get from being in school the more responsibilities and extra expenses begin to creep through my bedroom door that never seemed to before; cell phone bill, student loans, buying my own furniture (a very grown-up thing to do) and being overly conscious about how much water I use in the shower because (Oh, wait!) I pay for that water now.

And coffee... Don't get me started on coffee. They may as well be charging me $7.50 a bag for the air that fills my lungs. It's not like I'm not going to buy coffee, so they have me completely trapped. (Tea is hardly that much cheaper and not as nearly soulfully satisfying, so don't even suggest it). By and by, all these things are essentials (Yes, essentials) for living life. So we need to make money, don't we? It makes the world go round. But must the newest, freshest batches of adults that enter into the corporate world be forced to hate or, at the bare minimum, simply tolerate their new jobs to make their own world go round? What about our passions? Our hopes and dreams that we were told for years and years after countless ballet recitals, baseball games and science fairs were achievable if we simply worked hard? What are the young millennials supposed to do in our time of uncertainty when our passions simply don't pay the bills and probably never will?

1. Know that this time will pass

Too much of the time we want what we want when we want it, which is usually immediately. We want our dream job one month after we get our diplomas, to be living in an amazing apartment, taking vacations with our friends and not having to worry about money. Very rarely does this fantasy manifest itself into a reality. Most of us are grudging our way through our post-grad jobs merely to fill our gas tanks and begin to save for our impending student loans (sigh). But as someone, somewhere always says, "This too shall pass". Looking for the forest beyond the trees is forever daunting but almost always worth it. A year can sound like ten and the overwhelming terror that you may be stuck in your current job situation is always looming at the forefront of your mind. But everyone feels that way at first, like their first job out of school will be the one they are in for the rest of their lives, never moving up or out. The truth is that the time of uncertainty will pass and you won't feel lost forever. A new start  can always seems like a mistake at first. Take a breath. Know this is but a moment and focus on the forest.

2. During that time, do what you love

A great recipe for feeling stuck in life is going through each day without doing the thing that you love and are passionate about. You wake up, drive to the job that pays the rent, come home exhausted, do your household errands, go to sleep and repeat the process. It can be daunting and the time can get away from you. A great remedy to this is to commit a small amount of time each day to your passion; whether it's one hour or even five minutes every day, it can create a small amount of wiggle room for your stuck state of mind. Pretty soon you will look forward to those five minutes a day, becoming excited to go home knowing that you will at some point be doing the thing that you love or working towards achieving your ultimate goals. If you want to write, commit a small portion of your free time to writing and give yourself a page length for the day. If you want to open your own business, spend a half hour devising a business plan and making a list of potential contacts. The littlest things can build your confidence and give you an assurance that your life is indeed moving forward, even if it's only five minutes at a time.

3. Whatever you do, go full gorilla

It's hard to do your best at something you dislike. After all, there is a reason you dislike it. But the unfortunate grown-up truth is that if you are going to do something, you may as well do it to the best of your ability. You're less likely to feel stuck if you know that what you are doing each day is being done well, giving you some sense of purpose. You may find that you actually hold a talent for your after-grad job.You may find that you actually enjoy what you're doing, or you may find that though you are giving it your best effort you still can't stand the thought of going to work each morning and that's okay. It's just as important to know what you don't like or want to do as it is to know exactly what your goal is. But while you're searching for the dream, try to kick butt paying the rent.

No one said it would be easy, living in the real world. In fact they promised us that it wouldn't be. Self-doubt, panic and some sleepless nights are just the starting points to becoming an adult. But eventually the dust has to settle and the self-doubt and sleepless nights will turn into self-confidence and excitement about the rest of our lives. And if it doesn't, well, there's always coffee.