I have a bad habit of always looking forward when I should be living in the moment.
Every activity I do, event I attend, or class I take is built to help me reach my long-term life and career plans. Whenever I achieve something, I am always trying to reach the next step, using life as a springboard to give me a boost.
I’ve had success with this method. Knowing that every part of my professional life is going towards a specific goal helps me contextualize my life and give meaning to my actions. This isn’t a bad thing for me to do, but it can feel limiting at times knowing that I am always waiting for something else.
This summer I will be interning in Washington D.C. for 10 weeks, and I am extraordinarily excited. After so many years of waiting, this feels like the true beginning of my future, with a whole city laid out in front of me.
I will use this time wisely. I hope to meet many people in the foreign policy field and broaden my horizons as to what careers are available once I graduate next year. I will meet other interns working towards the same goal and create a specialized support network. Every day I will be growing, moving towards the rest of my life.
However, I will also try and appreciate what is right in front of me. These next 10 weeks should be amazing, and not just in terms of work. I will be growing as a person, trying new experiences in my personal life, and opening up to an entirely new group of people. D.C. is made up of people from all over the United States and the larger world. Who knows what ideas I will be exposed to or beliefs I will encounter?
So, I will grow my future and myself this summer. I will try and learn more about my field and understand why people are a part of it. But I will also learn about myself. My goal this summer is to figure out the deeper reasons as to why I want to follow my path and understand my driving beliefs.
This is a summer of growth and learning. And, if I do it right, it will lead to a life where I will have broader horizons and a deeper understanding of the world.
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