With 5 classes, 3 organizations, and 1 (going on 2 jobs) that I am currently affiliated with as a 22 year-old, sometimes I lose sight of why I'm doing what I'm doing now. I'll occasionally rant to a few of my closest friends and family and try to think of a few reasons at the top of my head. However, what better way to remind myself than with an extensive list I can always refer to? Below is an exact version of this list, so that I will never forget the kind of woman I'm going to be as long as I play my cards right:
1. A woman who will never have to depend on anyone else but herself.
Don't take me the wrong way. I want to get married, and I will. Obviously, my husband and I will be dependent on each other in some ways. However, I want us both to be able to support ourselves and our children no matter what happens.
2. A woman who loves who she is and what she does.
I want to attend law school to become a family attorney so that I can eventually wake up every morning to do what I love (and be pretty damn good at it). I want to live a life that I'm truly happy with and that I know I worked so hard to obtain for myself. How can I accomplish any of that if I lose sight of why I'm doing what I'm doing now?
3. A woman who turns her wants into realities.
A big house in a gated community with a back porch that has a wooden dance floor and white lights strewn above it. A profession that ignites and combines my passion for writing and public speaking. An oldest son and three younger daughters who I'm confident I can raise alongside my adoring husband who loves me (and I mean, really loves me). All of these are dreams that cannot become realities if I choose to give up on doing what I need to do in order to obtain them.
4. A woman whose children are genuinely proud of her.
Aside from making God proud of who I am, I don't think there will be any better feeling. I look forward to telling them all about my accomplishments and hearing them say:
"Wow, mommy! I want to be like you when I grow up!"
I want them to strive to become leaders, and to be good people. I can't do that if I don't stay on the right path.
5. A woman who knows God is smiling at her from above.
Making Him happy has, and always will be, my biggest honor.
6. A woman who takes her last breath knowing she'll pass on in more ways than one.
By the time I pass on, I want to know that everything I did inspired others to be better people. I want my children to grow up determined to lead successful lives like their mother and father. I want the time I commit to my clients to be paid off in the form of empowerment and restoration they once thought would be impossible for them to obtain for themselves.
That's why I need to stay on track even on the days that I'd rather not do anything at all.
I may only be 22, but my life is quickly paving itself every second even though I don't realize it most of the time. In other words, everything I do is contributing to what will soon be my future.
That future will only be bright if I remember to keep the above list in mind.
And to the me who for some reason became unmotivated:
You had better review this list and get back to work, missy! Remember, you only feel unmotivated because you're forgetting where all of this hard work is going to lead you!