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Inspiration September 25, 2017
You will make it through this tragedy just as you made it through the last one.
The only way to survive your darkest moments is to think about the good times.
When we’re at our lowest, it’s easy to wallow in your own misery and assume that nothing is ever going to get better. Even if you’ve made it so far, you think that one failure is a sign that you need to quit and give up now while you’re ahead.
I’ve been there before. Many, many times. I have constant ups and downs in my life, but during the lowest moments, I think about where I was before and where I am now.
For example, in my family, you’re either a doctor, lawyer or a disgrace to the family. I wish I was exaggerating. My parents didn’t move to America to give me the opportunity to go to college to become a writer. They wanted a child they could brag about to their friends. They believed any career that doesn’t make you $60,000 straight out of college is a waste of time. So, you can see why my parents were disappointed when I told them I wanted to be a journalist.
I didn’t choose to be a journalist because I thought it would make me famous or rich. I chose this career path because I couldn’t see myself ever becoming anything else. So, I followed my heart.
But this also meant that I had to succeed to prove my parents wrong. I couldn’t just barely make it. I had to give them a reason to brag about to their friends. Most importantly, I had to prove to them that I could become something.
It wasn’t until my junior year of college that I felt defeated. All of my friends had amazing internships and jobs on Wall Street making $15,000 over the span of just one summer while I was working part-time food service jobs and barely making it by. My friends were buying $30 drinks, and I could barely afford an $8 sandwich.
I started to doubt my career choice. I was broke and everyone else was moving on without me. While other students in my program were moving to New York for the summer to intern at GQ, I was moving back in with my parents to save money while working two jobs. I assumed this life path wasn’t meant for me. I was all just about ready to give up and move back in with my parents and start over in a different major.
But I didn’t come this far just to come this far. I didn’t have a choice, I couldn’t have given up and prove my parents right.
It was a dark year filled with failures and setbacks. I barely made it through.
While I look at that year with dread, I realize I wouldn’t be where I am today without that sorrow. I kept comparing myself to my friends and peers. I thought I wasn’t cut out for my career path because I didn’t have big companies under my belt. Although I wasn’t the best, I wasn’t at the bottom either. I realized I could only go up from here. So, instead of sulking, I chose to grow.
I’ve made it farther than I could ever imagine in the span of just one year. Multiple publications rejected me straight out of college. And while I wanted to crawl back into that comfortable hole of misery, I reminded myself that I have made it before and I will continue to make it.
So, a job rejection may make you feel like you won’t ever receive an offer again and heartbreak may make you feel like you’ll never love again but these moments are fleeting.
You will make it through this tragedy just as you made it through the last one.
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