“Both tears and sweat are salty, but they render a different result. Tears will get you sympathy; sweat will get you change.” -Jesse Jackson

I felt guilty even when I was writing that last post. Now, a few hours after publishing it, I am feeling so overwhelmed by guilt and feelings of ridiculousness and the incessant need to clarify that I can’t even sleep.

I was writing that post about college being a waste of time/money and how I can’t find a job in my field and a general “Waaaaah! Waaaaaaah! Waaaaaah!” and all I kept thinking is, “Alissa, you know better than this.” And I do.

I know way better.

You see, everything in my last post was true, BUT I have this little thing called faith. And the faith that I have moves mountains. I have overcome insurmountable odds to get where I am today. God has blessed me tremendously beyond my wildest expectation. I feel like my last post gave the impression that He hasn’t or that He was through blessing me. He isn’t.

One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is Psalm 37:5 - “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”

I love that scripture because it is so true. God has never, ever, ever forsaken me. Ever. He has come through for me every single time. He’s the definition of “clutch”. (Think Lakers’ Ron Artest, 2010 Western Conference Finals Game 5). So, why do I allow myself the pity party as if I do anything other than WIN every time anyway? Continue reading →

“It is possible to do everything right and still lose.” - Tony Calabrese

If someone would’ve told me this would be my life sixteen months after college, then maybe I would’ve skipped college altogether. Sure I made friends, joined a sorority, had fun and learned a lot but, looking back it just looks like a very bad decision. You see, I was convinced that just as graduating from college meant receiving a degree, receiving a degree meant getting a job.

 

Apparently, going to college only serves to increase your chances of getting a job. At least that’s what someone told me (six months after I received my degree).

My reaction was: WHAT?! You mean I spent four years and a bucketload of money to increase my chances?

I feel like the idiot who buys lottery tickets every day hoping to win the lottery because the instructions say “the more you play, the more chances you have to win.” I would call that guy a sucker. But if he spent the time, effort, and money on the lottery that I spent on college, he would be a winner ten times over. So who’s the sucker now?

Me. Continue reading →

Honestly, I never really understood unemployment.

I thought, there are millions of jobs out here. Why do so many people not have one?

Then I found out why: because sometimes not having a job at all is better than not having the job you want. Continue reading →

“And now I will show you the most excellent way...” -1Corinthians 12:31

Genuine.

I haven’t written about him at all in this blog. Partly because I feel like words can diminish that which can’t be put into words. Partly because it’s simply harder to write about good things than it is about bad things. But mostly because it just feels odd after years of rehashing doomed-from-the-start relationships and learned lessons I could’ve done without, to now sit down and write about a new relationship that is so wonderful, I didn’t need any of those previous lessons. It’s like I got a PhD in Bio-Chem only to become a stay at home mom: what a waste of time!

My whole plan of turning my perpetual pain into my magnificent meal ticket by writing a best-seller about “what NOT to do” is pretty much out the window. Alas, I’m happy and I’d take the happiness I feel right now in this moment (and every moment since I’ve started dating him) over any amount of money. Continue reading →

[Alissa’s note: Do you get the title of this blog? It’s a play on the Greenday’s “Wake Me Up When September Ends” song title. (Sometimes, I’m too clever for my own good and NO ONE gets it. Like my AlissaInPink Twitter is a play on “pretty in pink”. No one gets that. #FAIL.) ]

I haven’t blogged in forever.

And by “forever” I mean more than a month. I wouldn’t let a month go by without going to church (except for that short stint I had in college when I realized the churches in Athens weren’t worth getting out of bed for and my church in Columbus was too unpredictable for me to drive 90 minutes to be there, so I decided to watch it live online instead). I wouldn’t go a month without calling my best friends or hanging out with my boyfriend. So, how did I let a month go by without writing? I love writing. I miss writing. And I’m back. To writing.

A lot has happened in the past month. For starters, I had the ultimate this-cannot-be-my-life experience in terms of my career. Long story short, I am no longer the pathetically unmotivated and frustrated woman I was when I graced this blog in August. Nope. Leave it to a well-paying, great hours, great benefits, great opportunity for advancement job to remind me what I really want to do with my life and give me a sneak preview of what my life will be if I don’t work my butt off to reach my goals: utterly miserable. It’s amazing what a month can bring.

So, in a way, I’m back to square one. The same square I stood on in June of 2009 right after college graduation. But this time, I’m not dealing with the death of a parent, living on my own for the first time, being discouraged by the success of others, or feeling like I’ll be single forever. This time, I am older, wiser, stronger and happier. I’m moving forward. I’m focused. I’m motivated.

Who knows? I may even dust off those GRE books. Maybe.