They say that writing doesn’t start until you are being honest. This is a statement I struggle with when writing, because as much as I want to push the boundaries of my writing, it is very difficult to be honest without exposing fragile areas of my life. It becomes even more difficult to strike a balance between writing honestly, without giving too many personal details. It is a daily struggle, because I start to feel bare in the articles I lay out there in the hopes that my personal experiences can help someone who shares in the same experiences. Moreover, I start to feel like the articles in which I am not honest, simply aren’t that well written, because there is no soul in them. They seem to be monotonous and bland. This week I had a trying weak, and my struggle at present is how much do I reveal about myself without feeling bare. Truth is, I owe it to myself to write honestly, else I shouldn’t write at all.
So here goes nothing, I got employed!!! Yes, this is me speaking things into the universe for them to be received, because truth is I at present do not have a job. What do I mean you might ask, considering I have been writing about going after your dreams, so what level of hypocrisy is this?
Let me start from the top. When I left school last year (I speak like I quit school, what I mean to say is – when I finished varsity) I immediately stepped into a consulting firm as an intern. I stayed with the company for six months and in accordance to the Namibian law, they are to hire you at this stage or let you go. This law I believe is meant to shield young professionals from being victims of cheap labour and ensure companies hire them. Anyway, as it turns out the economic crisis has hit like a storm and even the most prestigious and respected engineering firms are retrenching and in turn cannot afford to hire more staff. I am on the receiving end of said economic crisis. My last working day was Monday, which marked my six month stay.
I walked away feeling contradicted, I couldn’t quite figure out how this made me feel. I was filled with angst, because I become another statistic that falls into the unemployment bracket, I was saddened by the time spent in a firm that had no vision or means to hire me, a firm I truly grew to love. I was afraid of what it would feel like to not be obliged to be somewhere from 7-5, which is how the feeling of relief came about me.
I realized I had my life back, I became the master of my own destiny. I was allowed a chance to do a thorough introspection and decide on what the next phase of my life would look like. I had the opportunity to decide where and for whom I would like to work. Whether that journey was one of engineering, or whether I stepped out into a new journey. I had a chance to start over.
This is something that usually scares many people, but I see great opportunity in starting over. New beginnings are about fresh starts and fresh perspectives. I realized that I was excited, I was not afraid. This confused my parents and those close to me, because it is not a normal reaction. I however, never did know how to conform to the status quo.
This taught me a very profound lesson, which is that life is all about perspective. The way you view your situation, will ultimately define your reaction towards it. They say that that the only thing you can do is keep going, you have to see the fall as an opportunity to get up and be better. Do better. It is always simpler said than done, but spend no time mourning what was, and spend that energy on creating your tomorrow.
You are forever the author of your own destiny, and the question will forever remain, how many times did you get up, not how many times did you fall. I wrote this piece in the hopes that it will encourage someone who finds themselves at the fall. The world is your oyster, there is plenty opportunities out there. Explore , step out of your comfort zone, do the things you have always wanted to do in the interim, but never lose sight of the vision. You will have grey areas, but they shall never dull your destiny.
Go get ‘em boo. Fly eagle, you are meant to conquer the sky!
With a tad bit of crazy
Love Mavis
Follow me:@MavisElias_
eliasmavis@gmail.com for feedback
