I just took my final exam at Institute for Integrative Nutrition last week. It was an online exam and took me all of 8 minutes to complete and I got a 90% (I rule multiple choice tests) but it still felt strange. Another thing in my life is coming to an end.

Last April, when I left my job (and career) at Star Magazine to go out and find myself – again – I took on a plethora of new activities and classes. I was suddenly enrolled at IIN, in a 200-hour yoga teacher training program, attending a Jewish conversion class once a week and getting my teeth completely redone with the help of the miracle product, Invisalign.

Well, now I am a certified yoga teacher with a (near) perfect smile and a degree in Holistic Nutrition from SUNY Purchase. I’m still waiting to become a true Jew…

I am admittedly proud of myself and shocked that I got all of these things done in under 12 months but also filled with a bit of sadness and fear – what the hell am I supposed to do with my time now? In my (sparse) spare time, I am still writing articles for different magazine which is my true passion. I have been putting off so many projects because I was a student. How was I expected to write and pitch my work when I was spending weekends working on my Downward Dog and listening to lectures about the benefits of  a Raw Food diet?

Now I am faced with more free time than I can fill. And it’s scary because I have no excuse for not getting things done. I can no longer hide behind my packed schedule. What’s my excuse for not sending that completed essay to Glamour or Self? Fear of rejection, not lack of time.

There will surely be something new to take up my time, but for now, I’m taking a deep breath and facing my fear head on.