Three years ago I was not at my highest point. Actually, I was so low that I can’t even recall another period my life was so near to the ground. I was in a deep and profound hole. In a matter of months my father passed away, I did the most stupid mistake at work and lost the confidence of many colleagues. Worst of all, I was not happy and my personal life had nowhere to go.

I Honestly, I didn’t know how to get out of it. So, I searched for a solution. Back then I knew just one thing: I needed to change. But how do you know when it’s time to change directions? Life doesn’t come with instructions. Life doesn’t come with a manual or a timeline for us to follow. There isn’t a check list that lets us know that all the choices we are making are leading us in the right direction.
That’s what makes this life so grand. We must make these choices for ourselves. We must listen to the voice inside of us that tells us, “Yes this is what I want” or “You know what, I think I want something different, something better”.

For me it was the latter. I was working in journalism- a career that I love, but I knew that I wanted more. I was starting to feel like I was stagnated. I needed to change directions and reinvent myself. Although the process seemed daunting, if I didn’t do it, I’d never do it.

So that’s exactly what I did.

I enrolled in the Master of Science Public Relations and Corporate Communications program at NYU so that I could begin my shift into the life I really wanted. I came back to a place that is always in my heart: New York City. The city I met when I was eleven and fell in love immediately. The place when as a stupid 22-year old, I learned everything about life when I got my first job. The town that taught me a dreadful Tuesday morning 16 years ago that life can change in a “New York minute.”

So, after ten years I came back to the big city to learn something new. Public Relations had always been something I had indirectly done in my past, but I wanted to learn about new trends and get a solid grounding in the field. It has been a new adventure for me. One with many ups and downs but today I can say I’m very confident in the decision that I have made.

However changing something that has been a big part of your life is a difficult thing to do, and is not without failure. Often times I find myself pulling on knowledge from my time as a journalist and trying to apply it to my new career in public relations and corporate communications. While these two subjects are quite similar, there are instances where I’ve realized I can’t always “think like a journalist”. I have to stop limiting myself and grow with the new knowledge I have acquired, to push me toward my new career.

When you embark on a new journey, such as I have, it’s important to remember why you did so in the first place. It isn’t always easy, especially when you are not getting any younger, so every day I reminded myself of the bigger picture: Just keep thriving. The possibilities are open and endless.

For the last three years, I learned that as long as I am doing the things that I want and constantly reinventing myself along the way-personally and professionally, I’ll be happy. The process of reinventing oneself was never meant to be a walk in the park. It was never meant to be something that could just happen overnight. It is meant to challenge you, make you think, and mold you into a completely different person. But it’s up to you to take the reins and make the first steps with determination.

If I could tell myself one piece of advice ten years ago, I would say “Go for it…because no one else will, do it for you.”

And trust me; life is all about experiences, moments and people you meet on your path. Seize these opportunities and conquer your fears. Time is precious, make the most out of it and create unforgettable experiences — and this must be your biggest focus.

My recommendation is get lost and find yourself. In order to achieve that, do what you like, go wherever you want to go. Connect to other people and cultures, break bad habits, increase your awareness, reduce all the accumulated stress and for sure, get to know yourself better. Ideas and solutions will come easier than you think.

But do not let it stick permanently in the same direction because then, it will be worthless. So, whenever people ask you whether taking that risk was a good idea, smile proudly and answer: yes, taking a chance has been awesome.

Today, I graduated from NYU. Three years later I’m back on top of my life. I couldn’t be happier and I want to thank all those who helped me reach this point. This is not the end of the road, it is a new beginning and my pledge to you is that I will never let you down. Never.