Getting back into shape! - Mental Edition

I am out of shape. Not in a physical sense (although I've definitely given up my usual running for the more convenient and easier elliptical machine). What I'm talking about is mentally. My brain is out of shape. While learning about entrepreneurship, I was always told that thinking like an entrepreneur is an exercise. You need to practice thinking creatively, problem solving, continuously expose yourself to new ideas. Innovation is rarely created while sitting in an office.

Well, my brain has been sitting in an office for the past two years and it's gotten lazy! Granted I have engaged in various entrepreneurial endeavors while working full time, but certainly not to the extent that I did at Duke. Now I'm at this exciting point where I can start training my brain again! It's incredibly liberating (adding an exclamation mark after that sentence doesn't even give justice to how liberating and exciting it feels to think creatively again). ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. It's almost as if I've forgotten that over the past two years. Don't get me wrong, I'm incredibly grateful for the job I've had. But you can't help but think linearly with this type of gig. Back in the day, I had a huge to-do list of various accomplishments and then suddenly those dreams and ideas faded away and were replaced with direct deposit checks and office decor.

But not to fret! It's coming back to me. Slowly but surely (pole pole) I find myself day dreaming again. Thinking of all the amazing things that could potentially happen with my new life in Guatemala. Yes, I know, implementation is incredibly slow, it's about sustainability and capacity building not necessarily starting this big huge new project, but a girl can dream right :) Oh opportunities! I feel like I was suffocating for so long and now I can BREATHE! My mind is like Rocky on those stairs with Eye of the Tiger playing in the background! I hope to keep this type of vigor alive and to exercise this type of thinking while in Guatemala. Even if I personally don't implement something, just the freedom to be able to and the encouragement to creatively tackle obstacles is amazing.

Oh oxygen. Oh creativity. Oh challenges. I feel like I'm regaining myself again...and I love it!

Love in the time of Peace Corps

I’m officially starting a blog. Any day now I should receive my invitation from Peace Corps and I can finally make a decision as to if I will accept. The application journey has been an interesting one seeing how a lot happens to an individual during a year. I recall how I once felt in August when I first submitted my application. I had been at my current job for about a year and despite being grateful for the experience and level of comfort it provided me, I wanted more. The bright-eyed college senior that I once was at Duke University suddenly transformed into a nine to sixer. Yuck.

I spent four years developing deep passions for global health, social entrepreneurship, community activism, and where does all that energy go? Sitting in an office in front of a computer. That just doesn't add up to me. During my junior year, one of my amazing friends and I created a project called "Pathways to Success" to inspire students to choose alternative pathways and redefine their perceptions of "success". It's been a hard pill for me to swallow that after all that preaching about creating your own path, I suddenly gave that up. Perhaps I'm being a bit dramatic, but I do feel as though America's talented youth is not being challenged and living up to its maximum potential. Corporate America is not set up to fully take advantage of what us young 20 somethings can bring to the table (granted we typically have zero hard skills or work experience BUT we are a generation of driven, passionate, creative and socially conscious individuals! We're fine with hard work, that's why we busted our asses off in school for the past 20+ years, it just has to be something we believe in.)

So here I am again. At a crossroads where I once again feel as though I face the traditional vs. the adventure.

The traditional: I love my life right now, I have an amazing support system with fantastic friends who are equally as socially driven as I am, have a vibrancy for life and meeting new people in addition to an equally amazing boyfriend and the love and support of my family who live nearby. My current job is at a consulting firm in an industry that I do care about(health) and I thoroughly enjoy the exposure to business concepts as it relates to our health care system. So I can happily stay here, save my money and apply to school in the fall to receive a MSPH/MBA joint degree (probably from Carolina...oh yes, even this Dukie has to recognize the amazingness of Carolina's public health program). So with this traditional route I would essentially be choosing love. Love for my comfortable life and love for the wonderful people that I have the privilege of spending my time with on a daily basis.

The adventure: Decide to embark upon a journey very foreign to me by committing 27+ months to the Peace Corps in Latin America working on non profit (NGO) development. This is the unknown which is this intriguing blend of beauty, opportunity, excitement and fear. I can't really say what to expect with the exception that I know it will be life changing and an incredible learning experience. I can try to predict worst case or best case scenarios but in reality I'm sure each day will present itself with unique challenges that will vary from horrible to incredible.

Everyone says "deep down you know what to do". It sounds cliche but it's true...deep down I know. But how do you say goodbye to love?