C.S Lewis once said, “It’s funny how day by day nothing changes.
But when you look back everything is different.”
When I reflect back on the past six months of
my life, I see the truth in his words. Six months ago, I was a senior in
college, with no idea of what post-graduate life would entail. Since then, I have left
the comfort of my college town and my home, entering the world of adults, where
I no longer have grades, assignments, or curfews to guide my daily behaviors or
my life choices. Today I am an independent woman, learning to embrace a new
type of world. One in which I must own the decisions I make and navigate the
challenges that are attached to freedom and independence.
In the beginning, the realization that I finally had the
freedom to choose what I wanted to do next with my life scared me. When confronted
with the freedom to choose there is always the possibility of making the wrong
choice. It was for this reason that I wanted to run from the uncertainty of
post-graduate life. Fortunately, overtime I’ve gotten better at accepting the
transition into the adult world.
What I’ve learned about change over the past couple months is
that change brings with it a multitude of exciting and sometimes painful curve
balls, enabling us to learn and grow as people. Without change, life becomes
stagnant. That being said, I’d like to dedicate this post to the beauty of
change and the important lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Lessons #1: Great opportunities
come along when you have a clear intention of what you want.
After my unsatisfying attempt to pursue a sales job, I
realized that if I didn’t get more clarity on what I wanted, I’d continue to blindly
accept the first opportunity that came my way, regardless of whether or not it
met my needs for satisfying work. In order to avoid this scenario from playing
out again in the future, I realized I would need to better identify what I was
looking for and take purposeful action towards achieving my vision.
I made a list of the things that were important to me in a
future job/career. This exercise helped
me to realize that I wanted to be working in an environment where I felt I was
making a difference, utilizing my creativity, and leveraging my skills for writing
and speaking.
Once I identified what I wanted, I realized it was important
for me to begin surrounding myself by mentors who had the skills and
experiences I wanted in my future career. I joined the Columbus American Marketing Association and began attending other networking events that attracted creative
individuals who had experience with marketing agencies.
After months of networking and thorough research, I discovered
there was an opening for a position as an account coordinator at a creative
marketing agency named Origo Branding Company. I emailed the hiring manager of
the company, expressing my deep interest in pursuing the position and landed an
interview with the account executive and the president of the company a couple
days after sending in my resume. Two
weeks later, I received a contract to work for the company.
At the time, I couldn’t believe my luck. However, in
hindsight, I attribute my success to identifying what I wanted in a future job
and choosing actions and behaviors to actualize this vision. When you don’t
have a vision moving forward, the power to choose can seem overwhelming. On the flip side, once you’ve developed a
clear idea of what you want, the freedom to choose is a gift.
Lesson # 2: Follow
your passion and you’ll find your tribe.
Unlike college where I had many opportunities to connect with like- minded
individuals, developing a network of friends during post-graduate life initially
posed more of a challenge for me. Without
the structure of a college campus, I found it more difficult to solidify
meaningful relationships.
When I explained my dilemma to my mom, she gave me the
following advice: “If you want to find your tribe of people, you need to start
doing what you love.”
I took her advice and joined a French meet-up group where I
immediately connected with several individuals who shared my love for language
and culture. I found that in this type of environment I had a lot more luck
like creating meaningful connections then if I just went to a bar or a random
socializing event. The experience of developing friendships in a new city
taught me that as long as I stay true to my interests and passions, I will always
be able to establish substantial friendships.
Lesson # 3: Moving
too fast ultimately slows you down
When life is hectic and new opportunities are just around
the corner, I have a tendency to want to mover faster. In my own experience, whenever this happens,
I tend to make silly mistakes, which often result in lost time, money, and
peace of mind.
A perfect example of this mentality occurred three weeks
into my Columbus journey as I was sitting in traffic on my way to a networking
event. I was so focused on the end goal: getting to the event, that I failed to
fully pay attention to my surroundings.
The result? I ended up rear-ending a truck in front of me
and totaled my car. Although, I came away from the incident unscathed, the
experience will always be a reminder to me of the importance of slowing down,
especially when stress or anxiety arise in a situation. At the end of day it’s
the tortoise that wins the race.
Lesson # 4 - Mistakes
are gifts in disguise
I have never quite mastered the art of accepting failure. However,
post-graduate life has certainly helped to refine this skill. Due to the fact
that I am a perfectionist by nature, I have struggled to learn this lesson. But
as I grow and gain new life experiences, I’m learning that the mistakes I’ve
made have been some of my best life teachers.
Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes I have made since
graduation was agreeing to take a job without taking the time to reflect on
whether it was something I really wanted for myself. As I recounted in my last
post, the decision to accept the job offer for a sales position was a BIG
mistake. Shortly after beginning the position, I realized that spending my days
making cold calls to complete strangers was not a life path I wished to
continue following.
When I look back on this period, I realize it taught me a
very important lesson in patience and trust.
I learned that in uncertain times I have a tendency to sometimes make
rash decisions that I later regret. As a result, I’ve gotten better at taking a
deep breath when life’s uncertainties arise, trusting that things will work out
in the end.
Final Thoughts
I am by no means an expert in life transition. But I do
believe that my experiences dealing with change have helped me to get better at
effectively navigating new situations.
For all those who are embarking on a new journey or encountering a
challenge, I hope this post speaks to you in some way. Change is an inevitable part of life. The
choice to resist or embrace it is ours.
