Not Giving Up!

"Be the light for others to follow"

2012 may come with even more challenging circumstances as 2011 did, but taking those circumstances and not letting them bring you down is what really makes a successful year and a successful you. Don't let the darkness of the world dim out your light, rather work hard for your success and let through the radiance and become the beacon of hope for the world!

CHEER UP AND KEEP FIGHTING!!!

"Rise up in splendor! Your light has come. Darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples. But nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shinning radiance." [Is 60:1-6] 

Today my motivation came from my friends at church. Although this is not a religious blog, this little piece of encouragement from the readings reminded me that there are indeed people that look up to me and that I certainly wouldn't want to disappoint them by me giving up hope. It doesn't matter how hard I, or anyone else for that matter, have it going... if I let it defeat me and get dragged to the darkness and desolation, I'm not living what I'm preaching. SELF MOTIVATION, and a FIGHTING SPIRIT.

CC Image Courtesy of Pete on flikr.

Be it that you are constantly applying for jobs and it seems to drag out with little to no sign of an interview. Or that in school, due to your abilities and limitations, everything seems to be piling up. In any case, the overwhelming feeling that we all know too well seems to keep growing at a fast pace, and we are getting buried under all those uncertainties. Well, there are two ways of solving this problem... ignore it... or work to fix it.

The easiest way, of course, is to ignore it and let it be as is... often times we don't know we are doing this. But the way of solving the issue, and the most rewarding, is working to fix it. This is really hard to do for people like myself, since I was brought up to not get bothered by life's every little rock on the road. Make it happen! Get organized and start dealing with those pesky task that you need to do to make a better outcome.

CC Image Courtesy of Hilary Perkins on flikr.

For example; if your search for a new job has become monotone and exhausting by the lack of interview appointments, review and update your old resume. If there is a job that you really would like to have, research it and see if you posses their requirements, and if not... get yourself training to gain valuable transferable skills. If you find skills that you didn't realized you had but are key for that job you want, add them to your resume! And if you are like me and have loads of work experience (be it paid, volunteered, philanthropic, and what not), tailor your resume to each posting before you send it (maximum, a two-page resume). Don't forget to include your cover letter, if they request for one. A good idea while you're writing one is to have the job description and company information handy to refer to. When you finally get your interview appointment, research the company and what services it provides. Prepare some questions for the interviewer even if you already know the answer, they like it when you ask about them and the company. And remember to follow up; send them a thank you note, call them to check on your status, and be assertive!

CC Image Courtesy of Nick Coombe on flikr.

On the other hand, school seems to nowadays become more competitive, and loaded with more requirements than before thought. If you are starting to feel overwhelmed by the workload that the instructors require from their students, it might not be your fault... maybe the class is not your right fit. It happened to me, I am confident that I am able to take on and overcome any course there's to be taken to achieve my educational goals. Until I came to realize that there was something array with the way I was starting to process information, but not before my learning abilities had already slowed down that I was experiencing difficulties keeping up with the assignments. Then a classmate, friend from church, invited me to accompany her to the tutoring center where she had an appointment to do a psychological evaluation. I got interested on the topic, and upon further discussion, I too scheduled one for me. Fast forward, I got mixed feelings about the results, it turns out that my ability to learn is different from the regular student population. But now that I knew the limitations and abilities, I could schedule my classes to fit with my peculiar self. Instead of the "at least 12 units" to qualify for the "full time" student, I'm now required just 9 units. And even if it means that it will take longer to graduate, I am confident that will... and with a good looking GPA as well.

CC Image Courtesy of Alex Gaylon on flikr.

So, don't just go with it, get informed and evaluate yourself. There is no shame on knowing and accepting yourself. Realize your goals with pride in your work, and become the professional you want to become. Thus become the light to others, so that they too understand their own selves.

But no matter what life throws at you, always have a POSITIVE ATTITUDE!

Question: What do you think these pictures represent? How would you arrange them to tell a story?
MAKE IT YOUR STORY! And be the light for others to follow. I would like to hear your story, comment below.

Some images and the Scripture bracketed text link to content from: