Birthdays
Today is my birthday. Usually birthdays are a time of great excitement for me, but not this year. I’ve been trying to figure out why and a few minutes ago it finally hit me.
About this time last year I was attending my university’s graduation ceremony. I had all sorts of amazing plans, including going overseas for a five month journalism internship. At the time I felt as though I was on top of the world, and nothing and no one would be able to stop me from achieving my goals.
To make a long story short, the internship I was supposed to take ended up falling through at the last minute. I was extremely depressed over that for a long time and found it really hard to search for another job. I knew without a doubt I still wanted to be a journalist, but it just didn’t seem as though it was in the cards for me. I really had to rethink my entire life plan. The thing I had wanted to do for so long - almost 10 years- was slipping further and further out of my grasp.
I still have not given up on my dream of becoming a journalist, but with the way things are in the newspaper industry right now, I really had to force myself to think with my head instead of my heart. My head told me to go back to school, and so that’s what I’m doing this September, unless I somehow find an amazing job between now and then.
I guess what I’ve learned from all of this is that things rarely turn out as we expect them to. This time last year I expected to have an amazing career in journalism at a fantastic newspaper and be doing what I loved and had studied. Although this has been a major setback in so many ways, I am really trying hard not to let it drag me down. It’s so easy to do that, but another thing I have learned is wallowing in self-pity is a gigantic waste of time. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself about how things should be and could have been is pointless. Instead of waiting for that golden opportunity to magically appear in front of you, it’s time to be agressive and go after what you want, no excuses! Because let’s face it, if you really want something, you have to work hard to get it. Things don’t happen unless YOU are willing to make them happen.