Being a recent college graduate, I can relate to those who say they are still “searching”.  I’m still not certain about what my calling is for my life, or even where I’ll be in the next year or two.  Though I’m still developing and looking for the career that God has for me and the avenue that He has called me to serve Him through, I’m not sitting around idle.

I think this is what makes people keep going – choosing a challenge that we think we can’t accomplish, and do what we thought we couldn’t do.  Choosing goals and working hard to accomplish them has built my confidence, increased my trust in God, and reminds me that I haven’t yet arrived as the person that God has in mind.  Here’s some of the things I’m striving for:

1) Running – I used to have a hard time running for one minute at a time… I’d get winded and a cramp in my stomach.  My goal was to run a 5K race (3.1 miles).  Over about 10 weeks, I carefully followed the “Couch to 5K” running plan.  On June 5th, I ran my first 5K race and finished with a time of 26:52.

This Saturday I’m running in a 10K race.  I’ll let you know how that goes, but my practice run showed me that I’m at the point where I can finish in less than an hour.  A triathlon sprint – 600M swimming, 20K cycling, 5K running – is likely going to be my next goal.  It feels great to be more healthy and more athletic!

2)Reading – The public library has been my friend this year.  I’ve read at least 10-15 books from the library this year including non-fiction, fiction, do-it-yourself, and Christian genres.  I’m done with college for awhile, but it doesn’t mean that I know it all.  There’s so many fascinating topics out there and so many insights from different authors. 

3)Web Design – When I was 12 and 13 years old, I was creating websites and learning things that many college web design students hadn’t learned yet.  As high school started and new interests formed, I stopped learning new things about web design.  I thought that since I didn’t major in Computer Science or understand newer programs like Photoshop and Dreamweaver, I could never do web design at a professional level.

Never say never.  I picked up a HTML/CSS book from the library and have been slowly working through this book.  I’d love to learn Photoshop next, and be able to create websites online as I’ve dreamed them up in my mind.

Without purpose or meaning (or a goal to strive towards), I’ve seen elderly people lose their health and become frail.  I’ve seen college graduates become depressed as they return home and search for their first career.  With God’s help, I hope to keep pushing my limits and really strive for the potential that He’s created me to be.  What have you been striving for these days?

Tags: goals, learning, reading, running, web design