So I officially start my second year of teaching tomorrow and I can’t help but look back on everything that happened through my first year after college. Since I moved back home, I can’t completely claim everything that comes along with adulting (rent, bills etc.) but starting a full time job and a blog, opened my eyes to a lot. I figure I combine a list of these lessons and my love of music into a playlist that describes my first year post-grad:

Independent Women – Destiny’s Child 

This one is self explanatory. This past year out of college was all about independence and self-accountability. Of course with a full time job, I had a lot more funds. So literally as the song says “I depend on me if I want it”. I wanted to travel to new cities, both domestic and international, and I did that. I wanted to start a blog to take my weekly #EniGivenSunday posts to the next level and I did that. That’s not to say that I was irresponsible with my decision making but the point is I set clear goals and worked towards them.

More importantly, focusing on the independence that the song alludes to, I embraced this period of singleness in my life. (So no, you will definitely not find the song Boo’d Up anywhere on this list.) I realized  that this is a time when I don’t have to be accountable to or responsible for any other human being, spouse or children. I guess you can say I readily embraced post-grad year as one of newfound independence.

The New Workout Plan – Kanye West 

If you watch my Instagram stories you’ll know that I spend a fair amount of time in the gym these days. This definitely was not the case during college. Sidenote: you’re probably annoyed with my post-workout boomerangs but it’s one of the main ways I hold myself accountable for going to the gym. Check out my past post on fitness for an in depth post on why this is so important to me!

My health was probably at an all time low during college.

During college, I knew that any significant amount of time spent at home left me feeling and looking much healthier. Between questionable dining hall meals, packed schedules that kept me out of the gym, and heavy workloads that kept me from sleep, my health was probably at an all time low during college.

This past year I changed that! I’m not going to go into full details about how I stayed on track with my fitness goals here because I already have a full post on that! But in short, I’ve made a consistent and constant effort to stay active and it’s made me feel that much better.

By Myself – Deon Kippling 

Post-grad year one has undoubtedly been a year of a much needed spiritual rejuvenation as I made a more consistent effort to rebuild my relationship with God. Out of all the lessons I’ve learned through the year, this is by far the most important one: I am absolutely, completely, and utterly NOTHING without Him.  Of course I had always known this to some capacity but the testimony that is my first year teaching really solidified this realization for me. The lyrics of the song say it better than I can so just go ahead and be sure to listen.

Out of all the lessons I’ve learned through the year, this is by far the most important one: I am absolutely, completely, and utterly NOTHING without Him.

Make Me Proud – Drake ft. Nicki Minaj

So this song had to be on the list because 1. Drake is like the king of hits that gas women up (as he should) and 2. I basically consider this the anthem to my life. If you don’t know all of the lyrics off the top like I do…just know the song is basically a shout out to hard working women who somehow through it all, manage to balance it all. “I know things get hard but girl you got it, girl you got it, there you go. Can’t you tell by how they looking at you everywhere you go.” Basically this song is “Nice for What” version 1.

Yes, balancing a full time job, blog, YouTube channel, fitness, social life, and everything else that comes with adulting definitely takes it’s toll. But best believe I’ve worked to prioritize and get stuff done when it needs to get done. So yea, I guess there’s something to be proud of these days.

Wrap-Up

Plenty more songs could have made the list but these were the top ones that stood out to me. I want to hear from you! What song(s) would you use to describe this past year in your life. Drop them in the comments below!

#EniGivenSunday