Contentment in the Quiet

Leaving college and starting a first job is a hard transition. For me, it is especially challenging because I spent the better part of the last four years in a different state away from home, and now I’m back at home but away from my friends. I miss the pace of life – going from classes to lunch with different friends to extracurriculars to spending my evenings in the dorm with the community I built. The excitement of starting a career comes with the loss of the rhythms and relationships of college life. Life now feels so much quieter, and my daily schedule feels more structured; yet, as a Christian, I am to be content “in whatsoever state I am” (Phil. 4:11).  

While it’s fine to miss the good of college, it’s not fine to constantly live in the past or allow those feelings to hold me back from my new place. This “mourning” period cannot hinder me from moving forward. Instead, I need to be open to what’s ahead and allow myself to give my best as a new professional.  

Practical ways that I am trying to live out contentment include shifting my perspective, celebrating the small wins, and keeping up with the things that I love. To shift my perspective, I’m reminding myself that my future holds more opportunities for growth, learning, and new relationships, not just the loss of a place where I once felt like I thrived. For celebrating the small wins, I’m choosing to find satisfaction in daily activities, like learning something new in my job, successfully completing a task that felt daunting at first, or building my new daily schedule. Setting goals helps with this so I can feel progress. Finally, I’m still the same person I was a year ago, so I’m continuing to invest in some of the things that I loved in college, like going to the gym, reading, crafting, and staying in touch with my friends from school. My goal is to practice gratitude for my current position while still treasuring past experiences.  

Each stage of life has something valuable. What was right for me a couple of years ago (being a student) is not right for me anymore. There is more for me to learn where I am now, and it’s my responsibility to look for opportunities that will allow me to grow and thrive.  

Bottom Line: Contentment is not ignoring what you miss. Rather, it means choosing to find purpose and joy in the present. It comes when I stop comparing seasons and start investing fully in where I am, trusting that this stage has just as much to offer as the last.