Striving or Struggling – What Are You Doing This Fall?

I’ve said it before (almost exactly a year ago, in fact) and I’ll say it again:

It’s basically Fall now. And there’s something about this time of year that inspires a longing to start something new. To consider the choices you’ve made all year and think about whether you’re striving or struggling.

It makes you want to make some kind of fresh start. To set goals and then spend a significant amount of time pursuing them.

But at the moment I don’t have anything fresh to start. No goal to accomplish.

While parents and college kids are going to the store to stock up on cute, functional school supplies, I’m sitting here doing the same ol’ same.

While they’re out there striving towards a goal I’m here struggling for blog topics to write about or short story plots to consider.

It just doesn’t seem fair that once you graduate from college, “back to school” season doesn’t affect you in the same exciting way it used to (unless of course, you have kids. which I don’t).

Although, someone in my life is not taking that approach. While they already have a four-year trade license under their belt – in a career they’re working 40 hours a week at – they’re now going back to school to pursue a new path.

They’ve decided they want a change and so they’re doing it!

“No matter how much experience you have, there’s always something new you can learn and room for improvement.”
― Roy T. Bennett

So what’s stopping me?!

That’s right… Nobody. Nothing. Just myself. Well, I could argue my lack of funds… but that’s a worry for another day.

Ok. For those of you who are new or returning, you may have noticed that it’s a pretty obvious theme throughout this blog that as a thirty-something-year-old woman, I’m still struggling to figure out what I want to “be” when I “grow up.”

And I guess I never really thought of going back to school to get a second degree. I know I used to think about getting my masters’ but eventually, I felt like too much time had gone by and I missed my window of opportunity. But that can’t really be true. It can’t – people are choosing to go back to school every day!

But for some reason, this stuff didn’t occur to me until … oh about the end of the first week of school! So I was a little late to the registration party, thus forcing me to wait another semester before I dive in. But I think that’s a good thing. I think it will give me time to narrow down my options of study.

And wouldn’t you know it! While perusing some various training programs and community education courses, I stumbled onto this incredible resource – an online library of free courses I could take!

It’s called Alison. Have you heard of it?! I really wonder if this is a well-known thing or not. Apparently, it’s based in Ireland but so far the two courses I’ve done (both short and related to personal development) were lead by American sounding people.

It seems super cool, so I am going to continue to dive into some of these free courses in an effort to explore different fields and get a sense for what I might like to focus on when/ if I do go back to school. I have my eye on an accounting one as well as a few health related courses.

I’m also just really passionate about learning new things in general, so I think it’s going to be a fun experiment for me. I think the successful completion of each course will be a real boost in the striving department.  And honestly, it couldn’t hurt to add some new skills to my resume. (Bonus!)

I will say, for anyone interested in checking it out – they are free, but if you’re looking to get a certificate showing you completed these trainings, you have to pay for that. Also, there are a lot of ads to skip over. But hey! It’s free – can’t be too picky. (And honestly, there’s probably TONS of things like this out there on the internet, this just happens to be the one that I’ve found.

So that’s how I’ll be spending a lot of my free time for the next few months. In addition to getting back into a gym routine – I tend to slack off during the summer, so Fall is when I have to buckle down and get serious again.

And of course reading – my all time favorite way to pass the time!

I had a birthday recently, so I took myself to the book store. I picked up two books that were recommended by friends; Mischling by Affinity Konar (I believe it’s a historical fiction based on true events during WWII) and The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena (a thriller, mystery about… a couple next door I guess).

I also picked up a book called The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, (author of Eat, Pray, Love). This is the book I am currently reading and holy cow! Am I gonna have a lot to say about this book! It’s long, so it will be a little while before I can get a full review out, but so far I can say that it is … remarkable. It’s educational, intriguing, and refreshing in its honesty. And that’s all I’ll say right now.

Anyways. I hope you all are having a nice transition into Fall – whether that’s adopting new schedules and goals, or continuing to do the same ol’ same. Whatever it is I sincerely hope you’re striving and not struggling.

“Every precious thing that you want out of life starts from believing that you possess an unstoppable drive to continuously strive and thrive.”
― Edmond Mbiaka    

*Please note – These courses are something I enjoy and wanted to share with those interested. I am in no way affiliated with Alison courses and will receive no compensation if you decide to check it out. 

What are you up to this Fall? Going to school (if so what are you studying)? Reading new books? Let me know in the comments! 

Thanks as always for reading! Feel free to share this post with those whom you think can relate and/or pin the quotes below to your favorite Pinterest board!

This post was proofread by Grammarly