As I stumble back to this blog a good 6 months since my first (and only) blog post, I realize that I have developed a mere sliver of clarity in my self proclaimed "quarter life crisis". 

I've decided I still want all of the things I mentioned before (nicer apartment, higher paying job, travel, etc.) but I now know that Rome wasn't built in a day. That you need to take small steps at a time and not attempt to focus on every single aspect you want to change all at once. Because you will get overwhelmed, and you will have a breakdown. Trust me. 

So with that being said, as we start off 2016, I've taken steps to better myself financially by starting a 401K. Something my parents have been politely suggesting for about 3 years now--so it's satisfying and fulfilling to take a step towards a healthy financial future. Baby steps.

I've also finally approached my boss on partially funding an event leadership certificate program at Temple University. An item on my bucket list that never made it past the "I'm going to sit on the internet and research everything about this program but never do anything about it" phase. Also more baby steps.

A third step in my self betterment process is establishing financial security. This one is a biggie. Coming off of the holiday season, I struggled to log in to my Discover card account for the sheer fear of that balance that I knew was going to haunt me for the next couple of months. SO, I came up with a plan and a budget. After rent, utilities, student loans, insurance, cell phone (ugh, I'm nauseous), gym, I figured out exactly the amount I have leftover and divided it between my credit card payment, savings account and "goals". The goals category is an important one to me. Whether they be traveling, a nicer apartment, a new city, I'm going to need money. So, this is a good way to start. With my money being divided up to cover all of my costs and start to fund my future goals, I feel like I finally have a grasp at the process of getting where I want to go. 

I guess you could call this progress. A step in the right direction. It took a few suggestions from a positive influence that came out of complete nowhere (and gone out of nowhere too-more on that sore topic later) to really kick my butt into gear and make 2016 what I always wanted it to be. Because if not now, when?