So, you are a 20-something. Ambitious. Driven. Determined. Passionate. Certain there is something you can do to change the world. You will make a difference in your digital generation in the work force (at a job that you LOVE), socially and philanthropically...and you will do it all in a new pair of Manolo Blahniks -- because spending a few hundred bucks on designer shoes will be chump change to the salary you will be able to bring home. Oh! And that home -- 2 story, finished basement, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, golden retriever in the spacious backyard. Don't forget the gorgeous husband who is your perfect soul mate...yeah, he is there, too. (Insert the vinyl record-scratching noise here.)

I blame my mother for these lofty dreams. (I'm being sarcastic, I love you, Mom...She always told me I could do anything I set my mind to.) Not that I'm so pessimistic that I think they can never be achieved...but I'm certainly nowhere near this hypothetical I just mapped out. And by nowhere near, I mean NO WHERE NEAR. I am a 20-something...who happens to be suffering from the "quarter-life crisis."

Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You feel it, too! I know you do! You got that pretty college degree and set out for the job that would make getting out of bed every morning worthwhile. Maybe you found it and that is so great! Maybe you thought you did...and after some time, you started to question whether it is the right place for you. Maybe you think sometimes that there are other opportunities out there, but you just aren't willing to pull the trigger for fear it would be a mistake.

Honestly, I feel that way all the time. Some days I sit in the newsroom and tell myself that the stress of this business is not worth it. When news is breaking seconds before a show begins, or a horrible car wreck comes across the scanner...like all jobs I'm sure, some days I just want to check out.

Then I remember stories like Greensburg. I never saw any of the destruction first-hand, but I just remember some of the stories from the people that KAKE interviewed. And how so many of them wanted their story to be told so the whole country could see what they were going through. Telling their stories reinforced some of my feelings of why I'm here. Why local news is so important.

But just as I start to feel certain, uncertainty always creeps back in. It's the symptoms of living a quarter of your life and hoping that the future keeps the light on so you can see to keep truckin' along.

Singer/songwriter John Mayer sings of his discontent in the song "Why Georgia": Might be a quarter-life crisis / Or just a stirrin' in my soul / Either way / I wonder sometimes / About the outcome / Of a still verdictless life / Am I living it right

Who knows?..... I'm looking for some healthy debate on this.....any responses are appreciated!