Guess who’s back, back again… At this point y’all should know that when I say I’ll see you “soon” in my next post, “soon” is either 4 weeks or 4 months - I’m doing my best. But really, what’s good?! If you’re new here, my name is Tyler and a couple years ago I decided to create a website to share what goes through my head. You should check out this page to learn a little more about me and read the last blog post here.

I realize that the title of this post is slightly dramatic but who would I be if it wasn’t extra? As I shared in my last post, I was set to finish the teaching credential program in May, and I did. 🎉 The program lasted for 2 years and then you go on for an additional year to earn a Master’s degree. I was going to start the Master’s portion at the end of May but as I finished the spring semester I honestly couldn’t be bothered. I was burned out - working a full time job and going to school full time was A LOT. There were moments when I wanted to quit both and just crawl in a hole for a while. My days started at 6 something in the morning and didn’t end until 10 something at night. I felt like I was always behind, didn’t have time for myself, and if I wasn’t doing “work work” I was doing class work and consistently felt like I was drowning. I obsessed over every grade I received - I was the same way in undergrad. I’ve always struggled with perfectionism and people pleasing so anything less than 100% wasn’t good enough in my eyes. I finished the program with straight A’s every semester but I definitely felt like I was failing in the mental health department.

As the semester progressed I had no interest (and no energy) to continue on with the Master’s, so I dropped out. Technically, I took a sabbatical and am scheduled to return next summer but I decided I’m not going to do that. When I tell y’all that my personal growth has been a journey, I truly mean it has been a journey. I learned that my success in life is not solely centered around my academic accomplishments. It took me 6 years to earn 2 degrees and I felt so lost after college because my life was defined by being a student. And if I’m being transparent, I’m “good” at school so I felt this pressure to go on and get a Master’s and pursue whatever academic thing I could. I’ve since realized that I am successful outside of academic achievements and stepping away from school was the best decision I could make for my mental health… I love that for me.

It’s the summer time, so I’m off work and I’ve spent the last few weeks living my best life. Wrapping up my third year of teaching was a mess and a half. I crawled to the finish line of the semester and the end of the school year but I did it. I’ve traveled, spent time with friends and family, and have done some deep reflection on what I want to do next in life. I’ll share more about that in my next post but it’s been so refreshing to just… take a break, breathe. It’s a blessing to wake up and decide how I want to spend my day and have the freedom to do whatever, whenever. One thing that I pride myself on is having an identity outside of work and school. I’m able to separate my personal and professional life and it’s been a lot easier since I’m done with school. Really, I don’t ever want to go back to school lol. You never know where life will take you, but as it stands right now, I am content with never enrolling in a college course again.

Honestly, I’m happy. Life isn’t perfect and it never will be but I’m good. Everything is working out for me and the blessings are overflowing. I am surrounded by love and I’ve genuinely enjoyed these last few weeks. I’d like to dedicate a future post to mental health and my journey with that, but please feel free to leave suggestions on anything you’d like to see. Subscribe, leave a comment, send a DM, whatever your heart desires. As always, thank you for reading. Any time I see the views on my blog it’s overwhelming (in the best way) because, years later, I’m still humbled by the fact that people can spend their time however they want and they choose to take a few moments to read what I share. Whether you know me in real life or you stumbled across this site some other way, I appreciate you. Until next time…

All My Love,

Tyler

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:6 NIV