Life has a way of undermining our potential.
Consider this. Everyone has some sort of goal for their lives. Think back to kindergarten, when the teacher would ask everyone what they wanted to be when they grew up. If you were like us, you had a nice mix: some said teachers; others wanted to be Michael Jordan; and there was an astronaut or two in the crowd.
Flash forward to today. Do you still have that childlike optimism? Do you still have the mindset that if I think it, I can make it happen? If not, don’t feel bad. It’s not your fault.
Life has a way of doing that. You want to be an astronaut, eh? Well, that sort of job requires schooling, and schooling isn’t cheap. Can you write a check that big? Can your parents?
As you age, you start to realize that the world doesn’t bend to your whims. Just because you want to be an astronaut doesn’t make it so. It requires work. That’s the secret ingredient to success.
But the work really should begin sooner than college. Working hard in grade school opens up opportunities, like PSEO, which are beneficial. People taking those classes (or dual-enrollment) aren’t nerds without social lives; they’re smart people getting a leg up on you.
Athletes will often talk about “just wanting an opportunity to make a play.” For those of us about to hit the job market, it’s no different. The only thing you can ever ask for is a chance.
A chance to prove yourself. That’s the golden ticket. Pardon the sports reference, but that’s the point guard throwing you the ball for an open jump shot.
Take the shot, and make it count! These opportunities won’t come on a regular basis.
Those opportunities have even more significance in today’s tight economy. One deficiency on your resume or one uninspiring job interview is all it takes.
Just like that, poof. It’s over.
That said, wearing a nice shirt, tightening up the resume and acting like you know what you are doing–all easy things to do–could mean you are asked to start tomorrow, rather than “don’t call us, we’ll call you.”
Funny, isn’t it? All it might take for you to go to the moon is a nice dress coat and a spell checked resume. That is the secret.
No matter how daunting it seems now, don’t quit.