You’ve climbed the mountain. Now what? What will you do next?
That is the question I am asking myself.
So, an interesting thing happened last week. Well, a really big thing happened last week. I successfully defended my thesis. Yes, ladies and gentleman! After a long and winding road (cue Beatles track) to my Master’s degree, through book publishing, book promoting, career change, and an entire decade of my life (off and on), I am within spitting distance from this goal.
A few little edits, some paperwork, pay my last tuition bill to the Missouri School of Journalism, and it will be done. Dare done!
I might actually even go to Mizzou to pick up my Masters Degree since I didn’t go to my undergraduate graduation at the University of Georgia. I was too excited to get the heck out of town and go to my first reporting job in Chattanooga.
Anyway, the point of all this is that I thought I would be wildly exhilarated to get this off of my “to do” list. Strangely, after living with this process for so long, I think I will kind of miss it.
I’m thinking about what’s next?
I climbed that mountain. I might just need another to climb.
Crazy, huh? Because I can’t tell you how much I griped and whined about this process; asking myself why the hell am I trying to stuff things in my head well past the point my brain can barely hold onto all the basic essential information I need, like the location of my car keys.
And believe me, I am incredibly busy. I have a lot going on but having done this BIG thing, I’m just thinking…dare I do the next?
It turns out the journey is the thing. Or, maybe I’m just missing the thing I loved to whine about.
Maybe I should whine about a Ph.D. program, or the next book, or the just whatever the next big thing is. But, it will be something, because a dare done just gives you room to dare again.
You?
What big dare have you done and what’s your next?