SOCIAL:
Hey!
So this week has definitely been one of the better weeks! Took an impromptu road trip to New Jersey to visit family for Memorial Day weekend and got the chance to catch up with one of my cousin’s who I’ve basically grown up with!
We’ve been chatting it up since we arrived while taking some long walks in the suburbs of New Jersey! Catching up with her I realized at this very moment we are in kind of the same boat – figuring out our careers, next steps and next jobs, unsure of the future, but figuring it out.
It was a relief and pretty great to chat with someone who feels the same! Because she graduated a year before me and she’s in the same boat, I’ve become much more willing to embrace these changes and recognize that even after I do get my first job post grad, it’s not going to be forever within the same company, career changes are inevitable. In this way, change is the only constant.
Also this week, I’ve been reaching out to some friends and faculty who I’ve built close relationships with at Ryerson, and finally decided to start asking for some help.
The responses:
These are just small screen shots of the conversations, but because they more than deserve this shout out, some of these incredible people who have been going above and beyond to help me get my first job include the amazing: Phil Walsh, Sheldon Levy, Valerie Fox, Mohamed Lachemi, Ryan Manchee, Linh Nguyen and Erin MacDonald.
Seeing this unwavering support I cannot tell you how valuable it is. & Of course it begins with family, given or created. I’ve realized how incredible a support network can be since getting my start in SIFE/Enactus Ryerson. But this past month/few weeks made me realize just how important it is and how grateful I am for the people I’ve met here at Ryerson.
Tying everything that has happened this week… You’ve probably heard of the pendulum swinging back and forth, it’s a pattern you’ll study in every industry in some way – For ex. I’ve studied it in fashion cycles – skirts get shorter, then they get longer, and the cycle repeats.
But it’s also like a swing set. Relating this to my life, when I started blogging for #RoadFromRyerson, I felt I was in a backward movement with regards to my career.
Now I’m at a standstill, right between the side poles. But I can feel the momentum somewhat building. This is being brought about by the incredible people I have in my life, but primarily my own change in mindset.
From this new acceptance for where I am, gratitude for what I do have, and connection to others like me, a resilient foundation begins to build. It’s very interesting how it all comes together at a time of re-invention in your life (*On that note, I am now also 10 days vegan & loving it! :P), and it’s quite similar to the ‘empowerment process’.
In closing, there are three reminders I’d like to share with you this week as they’ve come up in my life:
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- Don’t underestimate the incredible people you’ll meet here at Ryerson.
- Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself. Since reinvention is a common theme in my posts I figure I should remind you that it’s okay reinvent yourself. I’m a firm believer in Gaia theory (the earth is a self perpetuating organism – basically), and it has shifted my understanding of the world at large. In understanding sustainability and everything that comes with it like this theory – the first thing you must know is that everything is interconnected, touch one thing and you will affect the rest. In this interconnected way, I think if you feel you need to reinvent yourself – and you feel it in your bones, then it’s the world and yourself simultaneously that is probably telling you to, and it’s probably something the world/you need.Especially if you’re making changes toward a more sustainable, compassionate lifestyle or to becoming a better person, then you should know that there’s at one person who is constantly cheering you on (me)!
In this line of thought, I figured I’d end this post with a fitting song by Florence & the Machine.
This grad journey has been up and down so far and while I know that will continue, I look forward to taking it on. ☺
See what the others are up to!
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