LIMBO

Prologue (Or the part where you decide if you want to continue or let it get dusty)

 

Dreams, goals, the future.

What do you want?

I think that, however grateful we may be, we often yearn for something more than we currently have.

And that's okay.

It's important to dream, set goals, and create your future.

And I encourage you to re-evaluate what that looks like for you.

Are you dreaming of a car? An apartment? A title?

For awhile, I think I was there.

I wanted to be a CEO, I wanted a new SUV, I wanted *insert one million different articles of clothing here*, I wanted a penthouse apartment with exposed brick and a view.

And some of these things, I still do. It is who I am to love style, design, and big cities and dreams.

Yet, when I picture myself there, I don't feel fulfilled.

Why is that?

Because those goals don't involve what I'm doing every day, those goals don't involve what I'm feeling every day — those goals don't involve who I am sharing my time with every day.

So, I changed it to this... I want to have the freedom to make a difference and lead others, I want to continue to cultivate my personal style and taste and be inspired by places and spaces, I want to further my education, I want to create a life that I am proud of, and hopefully, be able to share it with someone else.

Or at least, share it with my family, my friends — the people I have yet to meet.

It isn't about the apartment, the car, the clothes.

It's about feeding my "why." It's about doing what I love. It's about making a difference.

It's about connecting and sharing successes, failures, dreams, and changes with the people in my life.

And this realization, this shift in goal-setting — it makes all the difference.

You're not doing it for things, fame, fortune.

You're doing it for you.

You're doing it for your talents, your heart, your family, your friends.

You're doing it for the people you haven't even met yet.

You're doing it for all the right reasons, and that is why you will ultimately succeed.

Because, regardless of a monetary value, what anyone has told you, or anything else — at the end of the day, authenticity and a genuine mindset is what wins.

That I can promise you.

 

Introduction (Or the part where I tell you why we’re here)

 

This book started as a blog. My blog is my space to figure out life. It’s where I make sense of the world and my experiences. I write to understand, to learn, to discover, and to process. By sharing, I am hoping to inspire and relate to others — my “why” in life.

Growing up is hard. As twenty-somethings, we are navigating the “real” world. We’re half way between enjoying a chug after we slap a bag of wine and understanding what “fruit forward” means in Napa. We’re talking about our health benefits during the day, and going home to steam veggies in a bag at night.

It’s confusing.

But it’s also awesome.

And in all honesty, this applies to all ages, because no one has it all figured out.

Because that would be boring.

This book was created to help you (and myself) figure out how to balance following your dreams, following your heart, following your budget, following your goals, following your need to connect (take tequila shots) with others — following it all.

This book was created to explain my philosophy on goal-setting and choosing to fulfill your soul over your safety net, while also incorporating patience, realism, and strategic moves as you support yourself and progress.

I won’t pretend to be an expert in any of these areas, I won’t pretend to know exactly what I’m doing, and I won’t pretend that I know it all.

Because I am learning every day. I am forgetting important lessons every day. I am failing every day.

And I like it that way.

We are in Limbo. We are coming into the world, we are deciding what we want, and we are enjoying every step of the way.

I hope that these anecdotes, stories of failures and successes — of lessons learned, help you.

It is my hope that I can reach even one person via just one page of this book, because that, that will be enough.

 

Chapter 1 - The day I realized I couldn’t spend the last $4 in my checking account on a mediocre at best bag of wine (Or the longest title of a chapter you’ve ever read, and also the day I realized I was sort of an adult)

 

Anastasia Warren