Trusting Yourself to Make the Correct Post-College Life Decisions
Stepping into your life after college can feel equal parts exciting and terrifying. Oftentimes, it feels a bit more on the terrifying side of things at first, because all-of-a-sudden you are thrown into the “real world” and can feel pressure to be your happiest, healthiest, and most successful self right away. An internal and external expectation creeps in around needing to have everything figured out.
Your mind tells you what this “should” look like — going to grad school, getting hired in a field that aligns with what you majored in, having an appropriate salary, benefits, and beyond…
While this can look beautiful on your LinkedIn resume, in my own personal experience and after coaching dozens of girls in this specific phase of life, more often than not, the life that “looks great on paper” isn’t quite the life that is going to fulfill your soul.
So, how the HECK do you figure out what is going to fulfill you most in your early/mid - 20’s?
How do you sort out all the big, scary life decisions in front of you – such as where to live, who to live with, how much money you need to be making, whether or not to go to grad school, what job to look for and apply for, whether or not to travel, which friends to keep and which to let go of, whether to stay with your current boyfriend/girlfriend or break up with them… and beyond?
If you’re feeling a bit stuck in this area and are desiring more clarity – keep reading because I’ve got 5 steps just for you!
My goal is that by the end of this blog you feel more reassured around how to navigate your big post-college life decisions and also feel more equipped to trust yourself to make these decisions as you create your own beautiful, post-college life!
1. Spend time getting clear on YOUR unique dreams.
It’s very important to spend some time journaling, reflecting, and vision-boarding out your unique dreams for yourself (I recommend using Pinterest for this and if you don’t already follow us on Pinterest, make sure to follow us here!).
There can be a felt pressure to want for yourself what your parents want for you or what friends of yours want for themselves. Do your best to put your blinders on and remember: this is YOUR one precious life. You are the only one who has to live it. Nobody else. So try your best to not let the opinions or expectations of others cloud what you’re choosing to do with your life.
Carve out time on a weekend, play some of your favorite music, and start jotting down ideas, goals, and dreams. Think of things that excite you, what you want to experience, and how you want to feel.
Focus on the areas of:
job/career/business
relationships - friends, family, and romance
finances
health/wellness
hobbies
travel
Once you have some clarity, put it all together in the form of a Pinterest board called “My post-college dream life” or create a vision board with pictures of the specific things or that make you feel the specific feelings you want to feel!
Put your heart into this as it truly is an extension of your heart.
2. Find examples of others who are doing what YOU want to be doing.
Think about any people who you are already connected to who are doing some form of what you want to be doing. You can also look on LinkedIn, social media, and just start having conversations with people around you to find inspiration for yourself!
Once you have a little list of people who inspire you, begin to reach out and/or ask someone to make a connection for you!
Treat someone to a coffee (or get them a gift-card to their favorite coffee shop if you’re meeting virtually) in exchange for some of their time to chat more about how they got to where they are.
Open yourself up to as many inspiring people and conversations as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, ask for somebody’s time, advice, or thoughts on something. They can always say no, and it’s ok if they do. But it cannot hurt to put yourself out there and connect to people who are already doing something similar to what you’d want to do! You never know where it will lead you – to a new friendship, a job interview, or the exact next piece of inspiration you need!
3. Use your gut / intuition to discern whether to say YES or NO to something or someone.
Your intuition is your greatest strength. It’s here to guide you and help you make decisions that are correct and healthy for you. It’s important to get familiar with how your intuition communicates to you – it can be through signs from the Universe, gut feelings, dreams, excitement or lack of excitement, and beyond.
If something feels right or feels exciting to you/your soul, trust this.
If something feels off or like it’s draining you or sucking the joy out of your life, trust this.
You might not have the logical evidence, but your intuitive feelings about any situation or post-college life decision is going to be the most powerful thing for you to lean into. Your intuition is always trying to guide you towards what will fulfill you most, whereas your head can be filled with insecurities/doubts/other people’s thoughts.
4. Take small actions every week towards your dreams.
Have that vision from step one in front of you and start to take little actions regularly that can help move you towards it!
Things like:
Scheduling a conversation with someone who inspires you
Applying for a few jobs each week
Researching teaching or internship opportunities abroad
Trying out a new workout class
Joining a networking group / local club to meet new people
Choose the mindset that your small, consistent steps will lead to your big, beautiful dreams coming true. It’s only a matter of time.
Also - make sure to celebrate every single small step you take.
5. Lastly, lean into experiential learning and knowing that if you make the “wrong” decision, you can always choose again.
Post-college life is ALLOWED to be messy and you’re ALLOWED to take your time to figure things out. It’s perfectly ok to make the “wrong” decision and course-correct afterwards. You are going to learn best through this having these types of experiences and reflecting on them — and asking yourself questions like: What did I like? What didn’t I like? What did I learn here? How did I grow here?
This is the time in your life to embrace experiential learning - fall down and get yourself back up! Even though it can feel uncomfortable, making mistakes is truly the best way to learn.
Remind yourself – “I can always choose again”. It’ll help a lot when you’re making a bold decision such as taking a new job, ending a relationship, or moving abroad to teach English!
You can always choose again.
And you will.
You’ll choose again and again and again… until you create a life that is truly lighting you up.
This is the process of creating your beautiful life.
Recap of these 5 steps to help you trust yourself to make the correct post-college life decisions:
Spend time getting clear on YOUR unique dreams.
Find examples of others who are doing what YOU want to be doing.
Use your gut / intuition to discern whether to say YES or NO to something or someone.
Take small actions every week towards your dreams.
Lastly, lean into experiential learning and knowing that if you make the “wrong” decision, you can always choose again.
If you are a young woman in your early to mid 20’s and after reading this you are curious about exploring coaching with me (Shannon Keating), I would love to help walk you personally walk through these steps and create your most fulfilling post-college experience. Send me an email to shannon@babesrising.co to learn more about BabesRising coaching.
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