Quarter life crisis?

I find myself at one of those familiar forks in the road: Where am I going with my life? This is a typical gchat conversation among my friends near and far, who wonder the same thing. I'm referring to this as the quarter-life crisis: not old enough to buy a motorcycle, post-college mid-twenties yuppies often find themselves in this situation, freaking out about the future.

As I start to consider graduate degrees and where I want to end up, and how to stick to my five year plan, I often consult my mentors and role models. I strongly believe that Hillary Clinton should be every woman's role model, but others in my list include Marian Wright Edelman, Greg Mortenson, Golda Meir, Grace Kelley (for flawless style, of course), and most importantly, my mother.

My mother is the reason I have a five year plan; I look at her and know that I may wear Tory Burch reva flats over Cole Haan drivers, but I still want to follow in her footsteps. My mother is strong, brave, intelligent, and a fighter. She is extremely successful and but hard-working, a quality that my generation lacks. The next person under 30 who complains to me about how he/she is above whatever he/she is doing is going to get bitch-slapped. My mother has taught me forgiveness, how to trust, and how to want to be successful. My interest in renewable energy issues comes from my desire to want to be like her. I realize how lucky I am to have this role model- mentor relationship. I'm grateful everyday that I have such an inspirational person in my life, who inspires me to work the hardest I can, and be the best in me.

And so, my quarter-life crisis doesn't seem like a crisis after all, because I know that in the future, the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree, and I have a wonderful foundation already.