I've often heard that I couldn't find a satisfactory, meaningful, well-paid job right after college. So I should adjust my expectations and take what would be given to me. However, I didn't take it to heart and started to work hard for my success during my studies. As a result, not long after graduation, I found a job with qualities that they said I couldn't have. The job-search challenge was overcome by networking, developing relevant skills, being persistent in my job search, and being open to different career paths. I also took on internships, workshops, and freelance work that helped me gain experience and make connections. All of these finally lead to winning a well-paid job soon after graduation. On my way to success, I remember that challenges with finding a well-paid job are not insurmountable and can be overcome with hard work and determination.
To be fair, it wasn't the most obvious transition. I was a program director at a university, used to dealing with lots of paperwork and bureaucracy. I had no entrepreneurial experience, and the only thing I knew about adventure travel was that "I liked it." But I was willing to learn and put in the time until it did pay off. Flash forward 13 years later; I still own the business, have location independence, and start most mornings skiing or hiking before I start working. Never let anyone tell you that you can't do something. You're 're capable of more than what you or anyone else realizes.
Someone told me I couldn't drive to a job interview that required driving over a mountain range. Too far. Too dangerous. Too much gas. All alone. Well I did it anyway. And my life is what it is today thanks to trusting myself, that I know what is best for me, what I can do, and what boundaries I'm capable of expanding. The same goes for people in gender transition who are work with every day. Despite losing friends and family, getting fired from jobs, being totally rejected by strangers, and suffering to the point of no return--it is just something they have to do for their own peace. Would you want to spend a life in the shadows, hiding, pretending to be someone you are not? If we have one life to live, and it is ours to enjoy to the fullest even if it just means being a different kind of black sheep (albeit my true self)--well I would do it anyway too.
When I first mentioned to my colleagues that I was planning to go for a workation to Rwanda and Uganda, they told me it was impossible. They all said there are problems with basic facilities like electricity and the internet. Not to mention their safety concerns. As I always struggle not to perceive the world through the prism of projections but through reality, I did in-depth research and found a lot of information contradicting those claims. Finally, I decided to go to Rwanda and Uganda, and that was the best digital nomad experience in my life!
I recently went to a place where I met someone I immediately bonded with, and we got along pretty well. In a very short amount of time, our friendship grew quite strong. Someone once cautioned me not to be with him when I was out because he has a history of getting into trouble and making other people uncomfortable. I initially refused to believe that and disregarded everything that was said to me. I believed that it should not matter what anyone else thought because he was a close friend. He broke the rules the other day, and he got me into trouble as well. After this experience, I kept a safe distance to avoid any trouble, but I afterward regretted not listening to the individual who had previously warned me about him.