My journey has been different than most, but I have learned a lot along the way. The two main lessons I have learned and relearned are to stay resilient when negative moments come my way and to never quit on myself.
Lesson One: Stay Resilient
As much as I enjoyed my job in Florida, I decided to move back to Chicago, IL (with no job waiting for me, sadly). Even with my continuous search, I have not been able to land a new job in Chicago or in the Chicagoland suburbs. For those that find themselves unemployed for a long period of time, know that it will all be okay. The emotions I felt two months ago were the following:
1. Fear: I was terrified I would never find a job—in higher education or outside of it.
2. Self-doubt: I started to doubt my abilities, both personally and professionally
3. Anger: I felt very angry, and anger is a dangerous emotion to have. It can be damaging if not managed properly. I was feeling angry towards a lot of things (people, myself, lack of results). But I was mostly angry at the process of job searching.
Through much self-reflecting during the past two months, I have stayed resilient by remaining thankful for what I have and all of the great things that are happening in my life. For example, I am getting married on June 24th, 2017 (today)! Find all of the love and care you can in times of struggles because that will help you stay resilient!
My dad is a major reason why I do not quit on myself. He taught me to stay positive.
Lesson Two: Never Quit
It sounds cheesy and cliché, but in rough times, it is important to find ways to make sure that you don’t quit on yourself. I’ve had moments where I wanted to quit, give up, and blame everyone else for my misfortunes, but in the end, it is a choice. I am deciding to not quit on myself and to get creative with my professional journey. Being a blank canvas is exciting. My journey can take me anywhere now. Plus, I have a new dream to become a police officer and eventually work in law enforcement in higher education. To be successful, I need to go through various challenges to push me to be a better person and professional.
Struggles are a part of life. We can’t always avoid them. I am deciding to accept them with a “bring it on” attitude because that attitude helps me. For anyone needing a pep talk or judgment free conversation about the struggles they are going through, please contact me via email at proctorpj11@gmail.com or Twitter @proctorpj10. I will be more than happy to chat and help in any way I can. Thank you all for reading and following.
