7 Life Lessons For Pursuing A New Career

Upon graduating from college, I was completely and utterly scared as to what was going to happen next in my crazy adventure of life. Never in a million years would I believe that I was going to start my career in the smallest town that I have ever visited. When I began college, I was a hopeless romantic concerning my future career. I prided myself in wanting to work in an inner city and helping individuals that were less fortunate than I was. My strong appreciation for diversity and passion for my career drove me endlessly to work extremely hard throughout college to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to become the successful young adult that I wished to be.

As time progressed, my dreams started to become more concrete. I had to find a job before graduation. I put this tremendous amount of pressure on myself to find a perfect job. Frantically, I began applying everywhere and hoping for the best. After about five interviews, I was feeling discouraged and a little stressed. I didn’t really feel as if I would ever find my “dream job”. I began to question what my “dream job” actually was. It was starting to feel like this job did not even exist anymore. My mind had become clouded by the consistent nagging thoughts: what if I don’t a job; am I letting everyone down?

I finally had an interview in the smallest town I have ever been to in my entire life. I have always been called a “city girl” due to where I grew up. I grew up in a metropolis of suburbia.

Everything I needed or wanted was less than a half a mile away. I vividly remember driving through the town, and although this was the smallest town I have ever been to, I managed to get lost and drive past the building that I had my interview in. I remember feeling terrified, what did I even get myself into? I went inside for the interview. I was surprised. The interview went superbly and the people were completely friendly and welcoming. The following day, I was offered the job. I had a panic attack. This is not what I was expecting for my first job, the kick off to my career. I was given twenty-four hours to make my decision.

I quickly realized that although this was not my ideal location for my first job that it might be exactly what I needed. I had to make a choice, do I turn down this opportunity merely because I am unsure of the location or do I accept this job and challenge myself in life? I chose to accept. I was completely nervous and a little hesitant to start this job. Amongst my trepidations, I still had to try to stop from smiling. Although, this was not my ideal location to start my career, I still worked hard to get a job in the field that I had spent so many hours in college studying for and working towards.

If I had never stepped out of my comfort zone I would have never met the amazing people that I work with. I have an abundance of individuals who support me on a daily basis, individuals who want me to be successful and grow. I am so lucky to be where I am in life at this very moment in time. This experience has helped me grow and figure out who I am as an individual but more so has taught me about life in general.

1. You have to step outside of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself in every aspect of your life. If you aren’t challenging yourself, you are comfortable.

If you are comfortable you are less likely to make new goals. You have to push yourself to be the best you that you can be, every single day. Make new goals. Challenge yourself and I guarantee that you will be surprised of what you are capable of.

2. Your dreams may change but so do you. Keep going and keep dreaming. Change is good and change is a necessary aspect of life. Accept the change and push yourself to be successful.

3. The best things in life are unexpected. If you knew absolutely everything that would happen to you in life at every given second, you would never be surprised with yourself or with others. Let yourself be surprised, embrace the surprise, the change, and all of the good that life has to offer you.

4. Taking risks can be humbling. What if you take a risk and succeed? You will be humbled by the fact that you accomplished something that you weren’t sure that you were capable of. What if you take a risk and fail? You will be humbled by the fact that failure happens. Take heed in that, you can grow from your failures.

5. Optimism is a beautiful thing. If you aren’t optimistic, I suggest that you change that. The power of a positive mindset will move mountains.

6. Perfection doesn’t exist and that is okay. Perfection may not exist, but you have the power to make the best out of every situation. Make your situation work for you.

7. Nothing lasts forever. Hey, so maybe you challenged yourself, and it didn’t work out. It’s going to be all right. You have the power to change the situation or at least make the best out of the situation. Just remember it won’t last forever. On the flipside, enjoy the beautiful things in your life. Appreciate the beautiful people in your life. Let everyone know how much you love and appreciate them. It’s important.