Geneva's Blog

Good evening, thoughtful Readers,

If you had not picked up on it in previous posts, I am driven not only to pursue my purpose or Assignment in life, but also to assist others in identifying and/or aligning with their own purposes. I would love to spend some time talking about what that looks like in different stages of life. So, grab a blanket and a mug of tea – I’ve been drinking a Get Charged blend today (It’s supposed to promote mental clarity, so let’s hope it’s working!), and let’s get started!  

I’m struggling a little bit to name the life stage that I’m discussing today without sounding like I’m 110 years old. We could say it’s Young Adulthood (I’m feeling ancient with that one) Young Professionals (a little better), 20-somethings (better, but this stage could potentially span from 18 to early thirties), or Adults – Level 1 (I like it but am not sure if it sounds insulting). I’m just going to say we’re talking about Youngish People.

I do not think that people in any life stage should be generalized or lumped together too much simply because of their ages. Sure, they may share a similar history of world and cultural events, but personalities, identity assets, opportunities, and situations differ vastly. I do not want to ignore that. However, people in this group may often face similar expectations and while the actual options may be very different, big life choices are usually made during this time.

One thing that I vaguely remember from that oh-so-long-ago time of life was the perceived weight of the decisions I faced. Decisions about education, careers, relationships, family, etc. There was an overwhelming pressure that I needed to make all the “right” choices. At the time, these choices seemed permanent and irreversible. On the other hand, once “real life” began there were so many choices that I made that I didn’t really register as choices. Things that I considered unseen and unimportant that I had no idea would end up having compounding effects for me later in life. I believe a lot of Youngish People feel this way about the decisions in front of them – that their actions carry immense, unalterable, and life-defining consequences for their life’s trajectory or that the small things they do or don’t do have hardly any consequence at all.

Let’s reframe this view and declare both that everything absolutely matters and simultaneously that some of these “big” choices are smaller than you realize. Let’s take your career choice for example. You choose a job where you visualize a fairly specific career path and have a definite end goal in mind. In 30-50 years, will you be retiring with your gold watch from this same company after checking off all the boxes on that detailed career plan of yours? There’s a slim chance, but very possibly no, your career path may take a few unexpected turns along the way. According to the TAFE Gippsland institution, people are now likely to change careers 3-7 times in their life and to change jobs 16 or more times! One job choice is probably not going to lock you in for the rest of your life if that’s not what ends up serving your purpose.

That’s just one example, but it applies to a lot of these decisions. However, while they are smaller than you think they are, they should still be made with much intention. We have talked in previous posts about discovering your passion and realizing your potential, but the great thing about this life stage is that you often have more perceived freedom in following that passion. Whether it is accurate or not (we’ll discuss this in another post), people in other life stages may feel locked in their current situation by obligations and responsibilities e.g. various financial burdens, caring for aging family members, or looking after children, etc. Without all these factors weighing on your decision, you may feel less constraints in selecting your best option(s).

A pretty common practice to help guide your decisions is to write your own obituary the way you hope someone else will write it after you die, including your major accomplishments and personality traits. What if you took a different spin on this and instead of writing about all your accomplishments, you wrote out what you believe your Assignment to be and then reviewed your performance over the next 5 years? 10 years? 30 years?

Have you heard the saying that people usually overestimate what they can accomplish in a year, but underestimate what they can accomplish in 10 years? This may be a helpful perspective when trying to make wise decisions at this stage. If you have considered what your purpose may be, instead of attempting to accomplish everything in your first few big decisions, why not consider what steps you can take now to prepare for opportunities that will (not might) come your way in the future? What steps could you take to learn or qualify or prepare yourself for something bigger? Who should you make a very intentional effort to connect with?

Think big! Prepare for opportunities that are currently outside of your scope. Is it slightly terrifying? Excellent. Go a little bigger. Don’t limit yourself by overcommitting to your current dream. Maybe that is unpopular advice but think about it in the context of Isaiah 55:8-9. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Now have some humility, get out of the way, and get ready for bigger plans!

On the other side of the coin, everyday choices can seem so unimportant that they are made by default instead of with intentional effort. Choices like nutrition, fitness, downtime, tv shows, even our friends can be made with barely a second thought. However, the results of these choices can have lifelong implications. Okay, Geneva. I get how diet and exercise make a difference later on, but downtime? Tv shows?? Let’s not get too preachy, okay? Okay, sure. My intention is not to judge right and wrong as far as your hobbies, etc. go. But work with me here:

Maybe you are familiar with the following story: A businesswoman is waiting to cross the street at a traffic light. A runner passes by a little to close, and bumps the woman, spilling her coffee (the horror!) on the sidewalk. Why did the businesswoman spill coffee? The answer is because that is what she had in her cup. If she had had water, she would have spilled water. What you choose to fill yourself with is what will spill out every time life happens.

There is nothing wrong with tv, etc. But are you watching something that is filled with positivity or negativity? Are you learning or absorbing helpful things or mindless things? What are you doing with your downtime? Doomscrolling? Watching random videos provided by the algorithm? Catching up intentionally with your friends? Reading a highly intelligent and thought-provoking blog? It makes a difference. You are shaping your future self with every decision, and input = output. What are you putting in your body, your mind, and your relationships that will reappear in another way in your life later on? At the risk of sounding repetitive, everything matters.

Okay, I was intending for this to be a shorter post, but that just goes to show that we shouldn’t rely too heavily on our own plans, right? Let me know your thoughts! Comment if you can, absolutely send me an email, comment or message me on social media, I’d love to hear from you! Watch out, Middlish Aged people, next time we’re talking about you! Talk to you soon!