They say when life hands you lemons “make” lemonade. I say when life hands you lemons, throw them out, get rid of them, and strive to get your hands on whatever it is that builds you up, turns on your senses, that causes you to turn your comfort zone upside down, that makes you question and reach out and want and desire and “take”, and that rocks your world! Don’t “settle” for what “life is handing“ you; rise above it and see beyond what has gotten you stuck in that rot, the rot preventing you to move forward, and to face your challenges instead of running away from them. Change your circumstances to what you crave for, and dream of, and have that longing and unstoppable passion for! Want it! Crave it! Forget the lemonade! Forget the status quo! Make your life yours and strive to be the original you. Want! Strive! Rise and take and achieve!
On August, 3rd 2018, I decided to follow my life long dream of becoming a Paralegal. I literally woke up that day and while getting ready to jump in the shower, I made the decision to it. The decision came so suddenly and so clearly and I knew it was the right time! I jumped in and out of the shower, and by the time I was sipping on my double shot of morning Espresso, I had already researched the available programs and found a full time ABA approved accelerated program in Paralegal Studies.
A career in finance, although very exciting and challenging, wasn’t what I was passionate about. I just couldn’t imagine myself being in that field in two years, let alone, for the rest of my life. Yet I was very passionate about helping clients with loans and I most the time, found myself advocating for the clients and spending a lot of time on the phone, trying to reason with the Direct Lending Department to approve the loan. For me, that was the most favorite part of my job; the part where I helped the clients get their documents together, and was their voice, communicating back and forth with the back office, meeting the deadlines and making sure the lines of communication between the direct lending department and the clients stay open. It was my passion and what I loved to do. The more I worked in finance, the more I realized that being a paralegal is absolutely tailored to my passion. I kept thinking about the fact that I should’ve followed my love of being a paralegal, and I often found myself commenting about it to friends and family. Over time, I felt the need to really pursue this dream, as if I were missing out on another side of life; a side with brand new hope, passion and challenges. I had to take the first step, and that day, on that morning on August 3rd. I made the decision to apply.
I applied to and got accepted into the program; the rest, as they say, is history!
Today I am a certificated Paralegal. A life, not without its own challenges, created by all the stepping stones to the here and now. My life, with all its ups and downs, and cheers and tears, loss and lust and love and passion has led me to this moment. How may one talk about one’s life challenges and moments, that taken out of context, would mean nothing to anybody else? How does one talk about that moment one decides to leave behind, and turns around at a dead-end? How does one talk about and try to make sense of all the nonsense. How does one defend one’s choices and stand by every single decision? How does one talk about all the hard choices without coming across as a victim?
But we don’t have to have all the answers and tools to make things happen, and the first steps on the path to where we want to go, may only be taken by us. Yes, there will be hurdles, and stones and pebbles down that path, and yes we will get distracted, discouraged or at times, when the going gets tough, simply want to quit, but we can heal, refuel and get back on the road again.
So take the first step, however small or insignificant it might seem, because it will pave the road for your new journey. Find like minded people whom will push and challenge you to follow your passion: those whom you trust and whom will lift you up when you get tired and discouraged. And remember: When life hands you lemons, get rid of them, and if strawberries rock your world, see how you can get your hands on some strawberries and make strawberry daiquiris!