About Elizabeth…

My entire life I have looked to external markers to let me know that I was growing and developing into the best person I could be.  If I surveyed my life each year and saw a new job, living situation, life philosophy, hobbies, friends, and lifestyle, I felt a deep sense of personal accomplishment.  In other words, I equated growth with dramatic, exterior change.

Propelled by a personal interest in the process of how people change and how they make decisions in an effort to rewrite their lives, I pursued a master’s degree in counseling psychology.  Upon graduation, I was lucky enough to move to a new state, get married, and land my “Forever Job” as a college career counselor, at which point I (naively) thought that the puzzle pieces of my life would fall magically into place.  When they didn’t, I learned a hard-won lesson that I’m still struggling to live day-to-day:  real growth comes from within.

While I ultimately left the world of career counseling, I realized that what I learned in graduate school had a lot to teach me about life.  Life in Pencil is my attempt to rewrite my life by adopting a balanced approach to change, where growth is measured from the inside and the outside, in ways both big and small.

About Anne…

At age 19, I was a confused college freshman—convinced that choosing my college major would determine my life path.  Paralyzed by my own choices, I began making rigid plans to help myself feel grounded amidst ambiguity.  I made timelines and lists.  And I never stopped.

Here I am eleven years later, with a PhD in counseling psychology and a career dedicated to helping others figure out their own life paths.  For the past several years, I’ve studied the very issue that caused me so much angst.  In my work with university students, I’m a witness to the excitement and confusion that accompanies the development of goals and aspirations.  I love walking these young (or not-so-young) adults through this messy process, urging them to know themselves and the world better.  “We can’t predict the future,” I tell them.  “All you can do is keep growing, experiencing, and listening to yourself.  We’ll make a plan, but be open to surprises and changes along the way.”

Too bad I find it so difficult to follow my own advice.

Inside, I still feel like that 19-year-old with a constant need to know what’s coming next.  I’m still making lists and clinging to my plans.  Wouldn’t life be more fun and more exciting if I were to allow myself, every so often, to rewrite those plans, and ditch the to-do list? Life in Pencil is my effort to grow, develop, and change outside the boundaries of a plan, and inside the boundaries of my everyday life. I hope you other planners out there will join me!