Instead of a Pointless Vacation Recap

If you follow me on Instagram or we’re friends on Snapchat, you know I spent last weekend in Punta Cana. I was planning on doing both a blog post and video on the trip. A video to some EDM remix with shots of the ocean and the ridiculous resort we stayed at and a post full of high saturation pictures. And there’s not that there’s anything wrong with that, but what substantial value would that create for anyone reading my blog? Who doesn’t already know that Punta Cana is a highly sought after vacation destination? And while I suppose a hotel review might have been useful, let’s be real…I stayed at a 5 star resort courtesy of my company. I’m 24, new to my industry with student loans, and if the bill was left on me I definitely wouldn’t have been able to justify that stay and neither would the majority of my followers.

 

So instead I focused on what I could take away from my trip and translate into something meaningful. I thought about what my life has looked like in the past 365 days, and how at this time last year I was in Montana for a work trip. It was beautiful. I loved it. And two months later I was fired.

 

I spent the next 6 months looking for a job, and every day I grew less and less confident in myself and my future. I had literally tried filling out an application at Windsor but one of the submit buttons didn’t work no matter how many times I refreshed, redid the application or switched browsers. That was probably divine intervention if it’s ever been.

 

And six months down the line, literally on the last leg of my savings and one job rejection away from going Britney 2007, I got a job. It wasn’t the first one I was offered, but it was the first one I was offered that I actually wanted. The pay wasn’t anything to write home about and my office was in the middle of nowhere, but I was excited. And I was determined.

 

Fast forward 3 months later and I’m at an all expense paid, all inclusive 5 star resort in the Caribbean with my company. And my most pressing obligation while there? Attending a Super Bowl party. A tough life, I know.

 

But if you would have told me in June – or even September of last year that this would be my life right now, I wouldn’t have believed you.

 

I am a person that has made mistake after mistake after mistake. In high school my grades sucked because I was lazy. In college my grades were average because I was distracted and exhausted. I got fired from my first job post grad, and there were times where I thought I would never recover from those mistakes.

 

But in one of the most beautiful resorts at one of the most beautiful destinations in the world I realized that months of suffering, hard work and unforgiving personal responsibility had gotten me farther than I ever thought I’d be able to get. And that thinking about how I had gone from a ranch in Montana from Hard Rock Punta Cana in literally a year, that if you’re self aware and hold yourself accountable, sometimes the wrong choices can lead you to the right places.

 

Also, if you want to see all my Punta Cana pics, follow me on Instagram.