Yesterday was my birthday [woo hoo!] and it made me think about a variety of different things. I have had friends who have asked me – well, how do you feel now you are a year older? Do you miss your 20s or have you embraced your 30s yet?
With these questions, it made me think a lot. Sure, I was able to do a lot in my 20s, but when I started thinking about my 20s, I realized that it was a decade where I was working hard [REALLY hard!] – both in track and in school.
When I was 20, I was a sophomore at the University of Florida and graduated a few years later with my undergraduate degree in PR. Two weeks later, I entered graduate school at USC and competed for the USC Trojans in the shot put. A couple of years later, it was off to the PhD program at Tennessee where I graduated as Dr. Freberg 2.0 in 2011, at age 28. I finished up the decade at the University of Louisville as an Assistant Professor and continuing doing research, teaching, and consulting in my areas in crisis communications, PR, and social media. With all of these degrees, I had the chance to present, work, and travel internationally to South Africa (2007), China (2008 – check out this great blog post from my sis Kristin on our trip!), The Netherlands (2009), Greece (2009), Brazil (2010), and Italy (2011). Whew!
I would have to say that I feel like I have gotten wiser each year – but this year I felt that it was another year where I felt truly blessed. My 30s have been awesome so far – I have been able to do a lot of cool things so far in this decade. I have grown professionally and personally, and had a chance to see the world even more! Just this past year alone, I have been able to present research in China (June 2013), Barcelona (June and October 2013), and Australia (November 2012) – let alone spend a little bit of time in Paris for a mini vacation with family and friends!
Even in my 30s, I am still working hard – I do thank coffee every day to help me with this! 🙂 I am still working on projects and continue making my courses better and better – but these are the things I love to do in my profession. I am also able to pick and choose what consulting projects and research I want to do, which is pretty awesome. I am lucky to have the ability to work with some amazing students and colleagues at Louisville, collaborate with some awesome reseachers, and continue growing both as a scholar and person.
In summary, each day we have is precious – don’t take it for granted. Spend it with the people you love and mean the most for you. Don’t sweat the small stuff – sometimes it is good to chillax and take a moment for yourself. Be the best you can be in your profession. Make meaningful moments by helping others and mentoring them to be all they can be as well. 🙂
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
0 Comments