God can use you when you’re lost.
I became unexpectedly lost after I graduated high school. It didn’t matter that I put every ounce of my time and energy into my high school experience. I was primarily chasing the external validation that would come from being crowned my school’s valedictorian or salutatorian. I finished my high school experience by graduating 2nd in my class. But that did not erase the lack of inner direction that I felt once I stepped out into the real world.
I attended college at Emory University and graduated with a major in Economics. My vocational pick was a last-ditch choice. It was picked randomly and sporadically towards the beginning of my junior year. And that was because my desperation had finally set in. (Plus, my mother’s pocketbook was demanding answers to my avoidant indecision). Truthfully, I had no idea how I would use that major moving forward in life. And realistically, outside of marketing myself to potential Atlanta companies for analyst positions, I was unsure of how my career would unfold. Thus, after graduating college in May 2017, I found myself back in Statesboro due to my half-hearted pursuits of the Atlanta job market. However, for me, home was simply a place I longed to be. Besides, I was born and raised in Statesboro and desired to shed off the busy pace of the city.
Now for brevity’s sake, I worked my way up to a General Manager position at a local Statesboro restaurant in December 2019. And during the 2020 pandemic, I launched a passion-project business called OatPop. It was a broader concept that housed my oat recipes, which I baked for general sale. But after returning to normal life post-pandemic, I resigned my position as a General Manager in February 2021. I had honest intentions of pursuing different career opportunities in other industries. Especially since I had not explored the job market to my fullest potential. So, I decided to give it a worthwhile try. Well, “try” was the operative word there. Because unbeknownst to me, I would be experiencing some of the most intense depths of pain and unfulfillment on the road ahead.
Fast-forwarding to August of 2022, I stumbled upon the opportunity to write for Grice Connect. It came by way of my good friend Whitney Lavoie. Now let me pause to emphasize that I have never been a “writer.” I was never the go-to person in school for penning literary masterpieces. Writing was literally the last thing on earth that I thought I would be doing to make a living. But I can wholeheartedly say that I love it. Writing was apparently the hidden treasure within me all along. And in retrospect, it was the pain and lessons of the years which brought forth such ardent writing on my end. Now, I won’t go into the full details of my past sorrows here. But they undoubtedly can be felt in every word that I pen for my inspirational stories and content. So here I am now, still going strong with OatPop in 2023. But also going equally as strong, with a position as a local writer and content creator.
So all in all, simply put -- there is no glory without a story. There’s no way around it. Furthermore, there is no need to go running around the world chasing your destiny down. You must simply remain consistent by doing your own part. And you never know—you could have your destiny fulfilled right where you are in your hometown. Moreover, no matter what, continue to remain persistent in life.Because if you are a persistent and remain committed to this wondrous event we call LIFE, there is a clear path ahead waiting for you. There is clarity, purpose, and fulfillment waiting just for you. And no amount of past losses or current indirection can repel the destiny waiting to unfold in your life. We should all continually strive to move our lives forward in the direction of our dreams. And we should look to accomplish such endeavors by way of faith, passion, perseverance, and fun. If you feel lost, keep trying. Keep pushing. You just never know where you might be found.
