My Calling

After reading Finding Your Heart¡¯s True Calling by Gary Selby, I feel like I have a new perspective on my future. The article gave me new insight on how I should tackle my major and my life at Pepperdine. Before reading the article, I saw myself as someone who has one career goal and as someone who was closed minded to new ideas. Now that this article has shown me that my life is a path, I feel that it¡¯s okay to try new things and explore new opportunities. This article reminded me that my plan for myself is nothing compared to God¡¯s plan for me. A life of service is what I will hope to pursue, and with the support and guidance of others, I will reach it. The things that I will learn at Pepperdine will set me up for a life of happiness and success, no matter what I may be doing. My next four years at Pepperdine will challenge me to try new things, and to keep my mind open to whatever may come my way.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a doctor. Although I am unsure of what kind of doctor I want to be, I have always told people ¡°as long as I¡¯m working in a hospital, I¡¯ll be happy.¡± As this new chapter in my life begins, I will look to my professors and possible mentors with an open mind. I will strive to get every piece of information out of them that I can, whether it be good or bad. It is important to form a good relationship with the successful people that I meet, as I know I will be able to gain knowledge and experience from them. If my life should take a turn towards a different career field, I will know that this is what God wants me to do. Everything I will encounter will add to my journey, and when I reach my destination, I know it will be perfect for me.

Reading this article is not the first time I have been forced to rethink my future. On June 8th, 2012, my life changed forever. I would need reconstructive knee surgery, and my fourteen years of basketball would have to be put on hold. For the longest time I kept thinking ¡°why me? How could this happen to me?¡±, but my questions were soon answered. Weeks after I got my surgery, I found out that two of of my friends needed the same ACL surgery. I was able to mentor them and give them advice on how to care for their knee. It brought me joy to be able to help others in a way that I never would have thought of. This surgery put me out of the sport I love for six months, and kept me from playing in front of hundreds of college coaches. I felt like all of my efforts had gone to waste, and I couldn¡¯t figure out what God was trying to show me. Now that I look back on this time in my life, I know exactly what I was supposed to take away from this experience. Now that my basketball career is over, I am able to focus on school in a way I never have before. College is about finding myself, and I know that if I were to be playing basketball, that would be difficult. For me, this is a perfect example of how God¡¯s plans completely overpowered mine, and that everything is up to Him. My knee surgery was a blessing in disguise, and this new path that I¡¯m on as just a student rather than a student-athlete is just where I need to be.

As a whole, Selby¡¯s article put my thoughts back into focus. I am reminded that my life is subject to change in a blink of an eye, so I need to be prepared for anything. I am reminded not to sweat the small stuff, and to always have an open mind. After readingFinding Your Heart¡¯s True Calling, I am left with so many questions about my future. What will I aspire to? Who am I going to meet that will change my life forever? Where will my years in college take me? No matter where I end up, I will know that it was all part of God¡¯s plan for me.