Last night, I was able to catch Alexis Bledel's movie, Post Grad, on Star Movies. It was a feel-good, light movie which, I think, should be watched by fresh graduates. The film will somehow give you a glimpse on how reality will hit you in the face after you stepped out of the university or college, enter the harsh world that is professional or career life and despite having clear goals. I, myself, experienced the same thing. I thought I had everything figured out. I thought that my goals will be achieved maybe not too quickly but just smoothly as I planned it. I thought that graduating from a good university is enough to land me in a decent workplace or a decent job that is still within the scope of my degree. But I hadn't and it didn't. It was a brutal wake-up call. I had too much of a fair share of slacking off that it wasn't part of the plan already (because the slack off time period I set for my self was like 4-6 months -- including work up of necessary documents and trainings for job employment). It became very frustrating for me! Not that I only felt inadequate, I felt lost, confused and useless. I couldn't put my blame to my novice status nor to the competitive business that is job search. It's just so unfortunate for me that there were (and still are) too many graduates with the same degree that I am in that it is not proportionate to the available jobs here. The chances were super slim that the battle for the job position became 'it's-not-about-what-university/college-you-came-from-it's-about-WHO-YOU-KNOW-INSIDE-the-company/organization/hospital.' I kept on sticking to my original plan, hoping that my self-optimism will bring out an energy that will conspire with the universe to make them happen little by little (On a side note, credits to the book, The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, because it really taught and helped me to become optimistic and change the way I think over the little things so as not to create a negative energy in my mind. The power of positive thoughts and visions, amen! :D), but none of it happened. Maybe my goals weren't too specific or too ambitious for starters so I did try rethinking and editing my goals until I grew tired.
Then one random day I realized, I should just deviate myself a little bit until halfway from my goals. The fact that my goals were making me frustrated for quite some time was already a big red alert sign that I should have seen before. Instead of devouring negative feelings over my goals and wait for my seemingly useless efforts to be paid for with the achievement of my goals, it dawned on me that I should just make things happen and make them work for me. I wasted enough time trying to make my goals work for me that I hadn't seen the bigger picture that maybe today isn't the right time for my goals to be achieved/to happen or maybe it isn't the right plan for me and I just keep on going against the other possibilities or opportunities that can happen or that I can actually create for myself. It's not that I will stop achieving my original goals. For the time being, I would just rest or lie low for a while and do things that may not be in my list but can still bring me closer to my plans. With this new perspective in mind, I thought of things I really wanted to do since time immemorial because I figured that maybe God is giving me this time to do things I haven't done yet. I also envisioned who/what I really want to be and what are the things that I can do to bring me closer to the person I want to be because maybe God wants me to reconsider and rethink other things so I will not be miserable in the end. I also thought of becoming open to trying things instead of being a stuck-up 'goalkeeper.'
Opportunities are sometimes created rather than just waiting for the window to open, I think. Even though I'm doing other things aside from my plan. I still bore in mind what I want or want to try doing, the vision of who/what I want to be and not just jump into or grab whatever comes my way. In that sense, I didn't waste any more time and I'm still going through the right path.Now going back to the movie, the story I shared with you is more or less similar to what Ryden's (Bledel's character) story is. The only difference we had was she gained a love life after she decided to leave her dream job (that she eventually got after initially rejecting her on the first interview and followed by more unsuccessful interviews). :) With all the goals or plans we have and the success that we dream of, it all boils down to two points -- right time and letting things fall accordingly into the right places.
As of now, I may not be practicing my profession in the way and in a place I planned but I still belong to the same field. I still fall under the general purpose of my practice: helping, supporting and uplifting people with disease. I may not be formally enrolled in a fashion school but I think I still belong to the creative world where I also envisioned myself in through opening my business. I believe that one of these days, I will be a nurse-slash-designer in a place I dreamed of where I want to be SOON. Not now. But SOON. Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy where I am and whatever I'm doing right now. And maybe it's not so bad to also wish for my own love life to happen along the side later on. Or maybe earlier, why not! Haha! :)
