Day 84

Xine Way
Xine Way
Jul 25, 2017 · 3 min read

Someone once told me that I was a failure who’d never have a decent shot at getting a real job.

That someone was me in the past.

Today, I see that kind of thinking for what it is: a fixed mindset as opposed to a growth one.

Just because I was rejected from a job doesn’t mean I’m a complete failure — it just means that there are better candidates for a position than me.

And that means I should work harder than ever to groom myself into becoming an even better job candidate.

How am I doing this while balancing a part-time job as a cashier?

I’m trying to learn skills: skills that could be valuable in the long-run.

Blogging every day helps me ensure that I learn how to communicate effectively. It trains me to write with meaning, to measure each sentence by the amount of impact it can leave on someone.

I’m trying to learn new languages — computer and human ones — so that I have even better communication skills and shine in that realm.

Is it grueling work?

Yes and no.

I believe the things that matter most in life are often the ones that are the hardest to earn.

You have to see the long-term goals you have for yourself and understand that even the smallest decisions you make today have very real consequences for you in the future.

I mean, I failed today.

I’ll openly admit: I slept through my alarm and didn’t go for a run like I said I would.

I guess a good way to think about it would be like treating fitness as a job. If I’m typically motivated by external forces to do something, then I don’t see why I can’t motivate myself to do the same.

I need to learn how to hold myself accountable for the things I do.

And that will be tried and tested tomorrow as well.

I’ll think of my morning runs as being like a job: you’ve gotta be punctual and put your all into it and hold yourself accountable. If you slack, there will be consequences. And those consequences could be heart problems, problems with obesity, or worse down the road.

So I’d do best to prepare for them now, while I can.

It’s taking everything out of me to battle my own worst, laziest tendencies to achieve the things I wish to achieve.

But I do believe it’ll all ultimately be worthwhile.

I just have to put in the time and energy into the things I care about.

And results?

Those don’t matter as much as the journey you take to get there.

And you also learn to humble yourself and ask people for help when you need it.

Because it will be hard.

The best things in life usually are.

But no matter what you’re pursuing, just know that you can do it.

You have the capacity to do almost anything you set your mind to — but you have to be all-in for it to count.

I believe in you!

(And I believe in me. :D)

Trial #2 will be tomorrow.

I’d better not let myself down.

(And with that, I’m back to learning more about web development!)

Xine Way

Written by

Xine Way

Artist who thinks and feels out loud

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