Veni Vidi Vici

Someone once said, "Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death." While I'm sure he was referencing states of mind and being, I get this feeling about staying in the same geographical state and sooooo... I'm moving.

Over the years, my friends have give me the monikers of nomad, wanderer and a vagabond, but I really enjoy going from place to place and undertaking new challenges. For me change is synonymous with growth and progress. When I start to feel too comfortable, I feel stagnate. When I came to DC, I had three goals: to become completely self-sufficient in a foreign place, professional growth and to place myself competitively in the job market and to go to graduate school. Folks, I'm am pleased to say... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

For a while now, I've been feeling the itch to set sail on my next adventure. After much praying and soul searching, I have made the decision to return to Atlanta. It was actually a hard decision because I didn't want to feel like I was retreating home and returning to the familar. But after I committed myself to following my heart, God had His way of letting me know that was indeed the right decision.

My company gave me a full transfer... with the same salary! That's amazing considering the vast difference in cost of living from Washington DC to Atlanta. Too, I'm just ready to slow down a bit. Although I'll be working for the same company, the work culture in Atlanta is very different from that in DC. I feel confident about the fact that 60-hour work weeks will not be norm. The cost of living here is so high that I often don't feel like I'm enjoying my time and money -- I just feel like a cat chasing her tail and I'm ready to take a much needed "strategic pause."

At 23 years old, I've got several years of working ahead of me and I feel like I'm getting burned out already. Too, it's important for me to spend less time working and more time working with children, volunteering and being with my family. Not to mention that this gives me a chance to explore a new Baha'i community and I've heard the Baha'i community in Atlanta is just dynamic!

Will I be in Atlanta forever? Of course not! But for right now, this is the best decision for me and I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to breathe, play and grow. If I've learned one thing here, it's that success is not measured in terms of material possession, wealth or professional accomplishments but in quality of life, love, purposefulness and happiness.