Tuesday, August 25, 2009

You're my Girl, Annie Oakley

Last month I visited the Cowgirl Museum for the first time. How inspiring these trailblazers are – strong, passionate and driven. Everything I like to think I am, but really everything I hope to become. My favorite part is one that my mom pointed out to me. It is a quote by Annie Oakley that so eloquently read “Aim at the highest mark and you will hit it.”

It’s just that easy, huh.

I am an eternal optimist, so I like to think that I have always aimed for the highest mark. However, in hindsight I see that I was missing it, therefore I must not have aimed very high (this is assuming that Annie Oakley was correct).

Dating, for instance: A guy I dated in college seemed like a prize boyfriend with a real future. However, after a couple years when the shiny new of the relationship had worn off, I realized all too quickly that what I considered “aiming high” was in fact “aiming for a terribly unhappy future with a jackass.”

So I vowed to aim higher, and since then (with a select few exceptions) lo and behold, I have hit my mark. I have succeeded on hitting the top of the “man totem pole.” Each guy since the aforementioned jackass has been a substantially better guy than the one before. Clearly, I am not there yet or I wouldn’t still have this “single girl’s survival blog” being updated for your reading pleasure. But I think I’ve finally figured out the natural progression of things. We make mistakes, we learn, we move on. Rinse, repeat.

Aiming for a higher guy. Okay, that is the plan from now on.

The same goes for our futures. I see so many girls aiming low. I finally feel like I’m on the right track and aiming high. I have been out of college for 5 years and have made several different, exciting careers for myself. But now, I have a PLAN. Frankly, I can’t wait. I would aim higher, if I could. But I think for now, I am aiming for the top.