Who I Am

    Reading the excerpt from Parker Palmer's book, Let Your Life Speak, gave me a better understanding of vocation in my life. He says that we should understand vocation as "not as a goal to be achieved but a gift to be received." This quote in particular made me think differently about vocations. I always viewed them as what God wants me to work towards rather than the calling in life that I receive. After reading this passage I agree with Palmer. God gives us these vocations and because he knows we can handle. My Dad always told me that God gives you opportunities in life because he knows you can handle them. I think that goes along with Palmer's view of vocations. God gives us the opportunity or calling in life and it is our job to do the best we can to follow his intended path for our future.
  This time in my life the future is something that is constantly talked about and extremely frightening. Every person I see ,whether it's somone new or a close friend, always asks me about college, careers or future goals for myself. For me, figuring out what I wanted to do was not hard. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to study music in college. It was a no brainer that I wanted to major in vocal performance. The challenging part is going to be actually getting there. While I have wanted to study music my entire life, I have also been told that it is a mistake. Whenever I tell people that I am majoring in vocal performance, they always give me a very strange look, almost like I am crazy. People think that going into music is a huge mistake. That it is not a reliable career and I am going to end up with no job or money once I graduate. Even my family members told me that I should do something else. They said that "Music is a hobby, not a career." While I understand their point, I know that they are wrong. Studying music is following "who I am" as oppose to what the rest of the world thinks I should be. God gave me this gift and passion so I can use it to the best of abilities. It will not always be easy, and I'll have to work a lot harder once I get out of college, but I know that this is my intended path. God has given me that opportunity to develop the gift he gave me and to follow who I really am.

Mission Statement

My mission in life is quite simple, to always be happy and to love whatever I am doing. The career that I am choosing is definitely not an easy one, but I will living out my passion each and every day. I want to inspire others with my passion and dedication. I have been very lucky to have great influences in my life, my parents, sisters, aunts and uncles, voice teachers and friends. These people have had an huge impact on my life, so I want to influence others like they have to me. I want to inspire others with my positive and optimistic outlook on life and my music. By being a voice teacher I want to inspire others with my love of music. Music has helped me become who I am today, and I want to pass my love of it unto others. To fulfill this dream and to follow God's true intended plan for me is my mission in life.