Nine months spent giving 100% and getting back more than I thought possible

I was not having a good time in 2022.

I was depressed, aimless, and miserable.

I spent that year as a cashier at a smoke shop, trying to figure out how to turn things around.

I couldn’t afford college.

I didn’t want to be stuck where I was.

I didn’t feel capable of landing a job I cared about without a degree.

And I was kind of a mess.

I’m a very goal-motivated person. I’ve got ambition. I need something to learn. To work on. Pursue. And I realized I felt like I was living the same day over. And over. And over again.

Boredom and burn out motivated me, and I made a series of somewhat impulsive decisions that completely changed the course of my life.

I was mildly obsessed with the idea of joining Praxis back when I was in college. I hated the monotony and lack of effort that my classes required. Praxis seemed different. Worthwhile. Challenging.

But then the world shut down, and I was scared of even more changes in my life. I settled on completing my AA and hoping something would work out for me.

But two years since graduation, with nowhere to go, Praxis was on my mind… a lot. There were a lot of concerns. It cost more money than I had, and it had a low acceptance rate. I didn’t know if I could pull it off.

But something needed to change.

So, I did three significant things in the first three months of 2023.

I quit my job.

I sold my car.

I applied for Praxis.

The money from the car gave me enough to pay the first installment. And save some cash for my temporary unemployment.

I got accepted into Praxis.

I got a different job.

I still didn’t have a car.

But my brother did. So, I started commuting to my new position as a Starbucks barista in an old Honda that hadn’t been driven in a year.

Praxis was eye-opening for me.

I learned a lot. I made friends. I gained confidence. I started to understand what I was looking for. My goals began to feel less abstract and more achievable.

(And I bought a new car, which was a major accomplishment for me.)

It’s been over a year since I made that original series of decisions. It’s stunning to me how few regrets I have.

What I did:

I read these 10 books:

• Mastery
• Atomic Habits
• Share Your Work
• How To Win Friends And Influence People
• The Personal MBA
• The Creative Act
• Psychology Of Money
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• Shoe Dog
• How Will You Measure Your Life?

I published 41 posts on my Substack and 37 on my personal website.

I completed four career skills modules:

• Content marketing
• Copywriting
• Growth Marketing and Analytics
• 28-Day Writing Challenge

I built a portfolio website that I’m pretty proud of.

I started an Instagram for my artwork.

I built up my LinkedIn profile.

And so, so much more.

A couple reflections:

I can do anything I put my mind to.

I knew this already, but I think I forgot it at some point. Praxis reminded me how much I can get done with some motivation.

Setting small goals is still worth it.

I had this idea that I couldn’t waste my time on small things, which is how I started feeling stuck in the first place. Praxis taught me that setting small goals can make all the difference.

Share your work.

If I had to think of one thing I heard more than anything else during the program, it would be this: Share your work. Finishing projects is one thing. Getting them out into the world is another. I learned that the more you put into the world, the more opportunities will come. Why give 100% if no one knows what you did?

I went into Praxis expecting to learn more about building a career by the end.

I am ending it with life skills I didn’t have, methods to succeed, new perspectives and ideas, and a network of amazing people.

And I’m ending it with motivation.