Paradox
Is it not paradoxical that the thing I was trying to escape, the thing that I dreaded the most, is exactly the same thing that got me into the right place, where I wanted to be and by that, eventually taking me where I want to go next?
People say that you never know where life is going to take you. I can tell you that they are right.
For a long period of time, I was trying to escape from a job. Frustration, unhappiness, unsatisfaction, and at times even desperation. Feelings that, although put me down more than once, they also kept me going; they worked as a barometer of who I didn’t want to become, what I didn’t want to be and how I didn’t want to feel, and because of that, to keep looking, to keep working, to keep creating, but more important, to keep acting.
Now, one year later, I am here. I broke free. It didn’t happen by accident. It was hard work, commitment, dedication and sacrifice. It was not giving up despite the rejections.
The “funny” thing, the paradox, is that, despite now being part of a different company, it is that past that it used to be my present what it is moving me forward. All those things that frustrated me, are now a knowledge base that I can rely on, but that is also valuable.
The moral of the story it’s simple. You never know where things are going to take you, yes, but also, never take things from granted. Keep showing up, do the work, keep the goal in mind.
As hard as it can get at times, it is important to remember that time goes by. Whatever your present is, it will eventually become your past, but it can, or probably will, dictate your future. Is up to you how you play those cards.
It is a matter of action, repetition and stamina. Is a long term game, and you probably won’t get where you want to be on the first attempt, or the 10th, but nor will help you not doing anything, no keep trying and just quitting.
You can look back at being at the same place, or look back and contemplate how all the effort paid off.
Right now I look back, feel surprised and smile. Who would ever imagine?
Sometimes I wonder if these are tests that life throws at you to know if you are ready for the next big thing, to see how badly you want it.
Other times I ask myself if it's maybe the other way around, if it is what it is, set in stone and is up to us to turn it into what we want.
I would probably lean towards a part of the latter, we definitely turn it into what we want, but I can’t deny that at times it feels like the former, like if someone or something out there knows, they are just waiting for you to do your part and make it happen.
