You Are a Contribution
You are a contribution, a color in a rainbow. You have the energy, talent, and intellect to pursue your hopes and aspirations. The world is a big ocean of opportunities. Have the courage to pursue whatever dreams you have.
Get to know yourself. What do you love doing? Where do you excel? What do people like in your? Take some online personality tests. Try out different things and listen to your heart.
Dream for yourself, your family, your friends, loved ones, and the society. Think outside the box and make a difference.
Find opportunities that fit your strengths while leading you to your goal. Join organizations where you can be a contribution. Surround yourself with people that inspire you. Before joining a company, check its corporate values. Befriend hardworking and ambitious co-workers. Have long-term and short-term goals and always check your progress.
Work with steady determination. Your dreams be your ray of sunshine during your darkest days. In your corporate and academic journey, you will meet a power-tripping boss, a crazy professor, a politicking colleague, a critical parent, a two-face friend, and a lot of other obstacles. If you know yourself and you know your goals, you can find the strength to get going.
There are times that you have to prove your talent or intellect in a competition, a job interview, an opportunity for promotion, and many other instances. In that case, compete with all your might. Bring out all your strengths. But remember to be yourself. If you win, take victory with humility and continue to work hard. Never let one trophy be a reason to rest on your laurels. If you didn’t make it, rest for a day. Then pick yourself up and continue your journey. Do your duty in big and small roles.
But in most times, you will find yourself in a group of people working towards one goal: in a class, family, circle of friends, or in a company. Find a gap that you can fill. Find a way to enhance the groups output with your talents. Be prepared to lead but also be ready to give your support and make suggestions. Shine but also let others take their spotlight. Work with steady determination. Support others and lean to others for support.
Learn to say no. When you have proven yourself enough. You will reach the point where several opportunities will knock on your door. Always go back to your goals. Make your choice and take accountability for it. There is no going back. Once you have chosen, fiercely pursue that path. Disregard your what ifs.
Sometimes you will need to prioritize. You may decide to take care of a terminally ill parent for a year before going back to your corporate life. It’s okay. Always remember what matters most.
In other times you just need to balance work and studies, love and career, and friends and family. Learn to compartmentalize. Be 100% present wherever you are. Leave work at the office. Don’t take your family problems at work. Make it up to your lover by planning romantic things for the weekend.
At the end of the day, check for one thing: be sure that you are doing what makes you happy. Don’t mistake happiness for pleasure. Happiness is having a peace and contentment at the end of the day after giving your best and taking care of the people and things your care for. Never think that success is purely financial. Success is making your dreams happens. These dreams can be about your friends, family, faith, or the society.
You can never be too young or too old to continue to dream or make new dreams. Forge your own path. Don’t compare yourself to your former classmates or colleagues. Compete with yourself. Make things happen in your own time.