I love a good cliché.

You know… those ones that you’ve pinned multiple times to your “quotes” board:

WHAT’S FOR YOU WON’T PASS YOU.

IF IT’S MEANT TO BE, IT’LL FIND A WAY.

TRUST THE TIMING OF YOUR LIFE.

Three months ago, I was in the same boat as more than half of recent college graduates. Jobless, enjoying a celebration dinner to be followed by packing up my belongings and heading back to mom & dad’s.

But my situation is a little different. Falling in love with someone who is as equally goal oriented with just as big of dreams is a blessing and a curse. When I met G, I couldn’t help but worry – because I knew that I had met my soul mate, but that didn’t fit into my “move to Los Angeles to find myself and an internship position at Teen Vogue Magazine” plan. I, like many others, consider myself a planner. The organizational benefits of being a planner are so fabulous, but the lifestyle itself is full of anxiety and disappointment. Let me tell ya’ll something I’ve learned: you cannot plan life. You can plan the details; your morning ab workout, what you’ll order for brunch & what color matte lipstick you’ll rock this weekend, but that’s about it. You’ll never have full control over when you’ll meet your soul mate, where you’ll end up, or any of those life-altering developments.

As I said, G’s pro-football plans and my Vogue Magazine plans were two huge entities that I think we knew would have to merge at some point if we wanted to live our lives together. Here’s another little whim of wisdom I’ve learned: love is full of compromise. People will fight you on it, discourage you, tell you that “a career doesn’t wake up one morning and leave you” – but when you find that ballpark fireworks, can’t eat/can’t sleep, slow-mo R&B music video type of love, you and your other {better} half will become a team that takes on life together. And for that once in a lifetime bond, sacrifice & compromise is absolutely worth it.

A dilemma I’ve faced over and over again is the age old Lauren Conrad season 1 of The Hills moment – you know, when her boss at Teen Vogue asks her to choose a summer of interning in Paris’ elite fashion houses over a summer spent in a cozy seaside cottage with her boyfriend Jason. I’ve spent the last 3 years trying to balance my life goals {marry my boyfriend, travel the world with him, own 12 french bulldogs together} with my career goals {columnist for Teen Vogue, stylist at Vogue, editor at Southern Weddings Magazine} and it’s been rough. I repeatedly told the bridal magazine that I couldn’t work in-office because my priorities were finishing college and living out the rest of my college experience. I tried a remote writing position (which did work for an entire Spring issue) but they eventually dropped me for a girl willing to work 9-5 in-office, as any level-headed company would.

It just seemed like I was headed towards a life with a career OR a significant other, not both..and honestly, I was beginning to admit defeat and accept it because I was so tired of always trying to balance both worlds.

When we decided we were moving to Alabama, I was pretty set on dedicating the next year of my life to working a part-time job, focusing on football and maybe getting a writing gig for the local newspaper. I prayed on it every day. Isn’t it funny, that prayers are most obviously answered when you throw your arms in the air and decide to give it to God? That’s what I finally did. I didn’t have any energy to worry about it anymore. I said “thy will be done,” which translated into “God, If I’m meant to work at a tanning salon in Tuscaloosa then so be it. If I’m gonna find that dream job someday, I know you’ll lead me to it.”

2 days later.

I woke up at 2 a.m. for my nightly restroom break {so annoying} & a quick social media audit. I had one email from LinkedIn. I drowsily skimmed it over and laughed, wondering how long it took this pyramid-scheme-scam-artist to write this email – this elaborate job description that fit me so perfectly. I had received many emails like this before, a job in need of a “remote fashion stylist” or something only to go on to reveal the brand as a build-your-own-business jewelry company. I rolled my eyes and went back to sleep.

The next morning, the email (for whatever reason) was marked as unread. I re-read it and felt an immediate prickle down my spine – it was a Tuscaloosa based clothing company in need of a social media manager. Every internship I’ve ever worked taught me the skills that were described in this job’s description. My family and boyfriend couldn’t believe it, “too good to be true!” they replied – and I agreed.

2 more days later.

A phone interview then a job offer.

I’m still kind of in shock. I was offered my dream job for a reputable, growing clothing company right in Tuscaloosa – not a sales job, not a part-time job at a tanning salon. I’m a Brand Awareness Coordinator for Southern Shirt. The benefits, the salary, the job itself – it is truly more than I could’ve ever imagined. The moment I signed my offer letter, I thanked God and realized I was “having my cake & eating it, too” as cliché as that is.

I started this blog in hopes of getting a full-time job out of it. Three months later, MMW secured the greatest opportunity (p.s. I’ll still be blogging my heart out!) I wanted to explain the story to my most loyal readers {friends and family} but I also wanted to share this experience with any other college grad stuck in the balancing act, or simply at their wit’s end applying for jobs. Yes, it’s über cliché, but

WHAT’S FOR YOU WON’T PASS YOU.

IF IT’S MEANT TO BE, IT’LL FIND A WAY.

TRUST THE TIMING OF YOUR LIFE.

because with patience & belief in the power of prayer, that “thing” in your life will resolve itself. You can’t plan everything, you may need to compromise, but your life will unfold uniquely towards the path that was designed for you. Trust in that.

xo meg