a new beginning

I have officially entered the “real-world” and as much as I may be frightened, I am also more confident than I ever imagined I would be at this stage in my life.

I just completed a six week internship at Niagara College in the Centre for Educational and Professional Development. During this internship, I chose to learn as much as I possibly could from this experience in order to help determine possible job interests in the future.

This internship entailed hectic days and long nights but the end results proved far more beneficial than I had anticipated. This was my first office experience and my boss was incredibly impressed with how well I was able to adapt and integrate how various business functions work together to achieve the final product.

The number of relationships I made within a six week time period still astounds me. It was beyond difficult to leave the college because I had such a wonderful experience as a student and also as a “colleague” to faculty and staff for the six weeks I was there.

It is amazing to look back and think about how nervous I was about the internship component of my program and to now realize I had nothing to worry about. As long as you are willing to work hard and learn from others, the experience will be undoubtedly a positive one.

Now, I have moved back to my hometown to start fresh and see what the world can offer. As nervous as I am about what the future holds, I am trying to remain positive and recognize that as long as I work hard — something will fall into place.

Many of you are in the same boat right now and it is important to recognize that. Just remember — it’s better to look forward then to look backwards — especially if you have a bad interview experience or no one is calling yet. Take it one step at a time and continuously seek out how you can improve.

Good luck to all of you who are about to embark on a new journey! Have faith in yourself and you will find your way!

don’t feel guilty

Hello, friends

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I wanted to post two videos that I have found rather inspirational. Those of you who witnessed my presentation heard a little bit about the late Dr. Randy Pausch. I found another video feed where he addresses the graduates at Carnegie Mellon University in May, 2008, which was 2 months before he passed away. I thought since we are a few months from graduating that you might enjoy what he had to say.

The life lessons Dr. Pausch expressed have made an enormous impact on the way I view today and everyday thereafter. I hope his words help inspire you as well.

The other video I wanted to share with you, was the entire Sunscreen song. I only played one of the more significant lines that coincided with my presentation “don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with the rest of your life…” But I feel compelled to share the entire video with you, because the messages are powerful. Some of you may have heard it along time ago, but for those of you who haven’t, I hope you enjoy.

life is a dream

I came across this song by Patrick Park called Life is a song. It is a wonderful song attempting to encourage living in the present and embracing each day. I have uploaded the song below for you to enjoy. I have also posted the lyrics below for reference.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Life is a Song

Lyrics to Life is a Song by Patrick Park

You say life is a dream where we can’t say what we mean
Maybe just some roadside scene that we’re driving past
There’s no telling where we’ll be in a day or in a week
And there’s no promises of peace or of happiness

Well is this why you cling to every little thing
And polverize and derrange all your senses
Maybe life is a song but you’re scared to sing along
Until the very ending

Oh, it’s time to let go of everything we used to know
Ideas that strengthen who we’ve been
It’s time to cut ties that won’t ever free our minds
From the chains and shackles that they’re in

Oh, tell me what good is saying that you’re free
In a dark and storming sea
You’re chained to your history, you’re surely sinking fast
You say that you know that the good Lord’s in control
He’s gonna bless and keep your tired and oh so restless soul
But at the end of the day when every price has been paid
You’re gonna rise and sit beside him on some old seat of gold
And won’t you tell me why you live like you’re afraid to die
You’ll die like you’re afraid to go

Oh, it’s time to let go of everything we used to know
Ideas that strengthen who we’ve been
It’s time to cut ties that won’t ever free our minds
From chains and shackles that they’re in
From the chains and shackles that they’re in

Well life is a dream ’cause we’re all walking in our sleep
You could see us stand in lines like we’re dead upon our feet
And we build our house of cards and then we wait for it to fall
Always forget how strange it is just to be alive at all

everything happens for a reason

This week I was going to enlighten you to a song and speech that would attempt to inspire all of us on our journey towards the future.

Unfortunately, I will have to wait until next week’s blog to post those uploads for you to enjoy.

For today, I thought I would share with you a possible ‘sign’ for what my future holds. I am a firm believer in the message ‘Everything happens for a reason’. Life is too intricately entangled for that message to read false.

Throughout high school and university, I had an interest in event planning. Instead of taking an Event Management program, I chose to take PR to open up my options while also satisfying my interest in events. As the program comes to a close, I have come to realize that event planning may not be for me, or so I thought.

I just received my job description for my internship at the Continuing Education and Professional Development office at Niagara College. I was not sure what the specifics would be in terms of my responsibilities, until today. Interestingly enough, the vast majority of my responsibilities will be event-based. More specifically, I will be assisting with hospitality, marketing, decor and logistics for 3 of their events held throughout April and May. I will assist with site plans, decorations and set up/take down at the events. I will also prepare a program and help with research, among other tasks.

At first, I was surprised with how much my job description was event-based. However, now thinking back to my earlier interest in events, I think this is the opportunity that will ultimately decide whether or not event management is something I can be passionate about. As my title states — Everything happens for a reason — whether it’s to confirm your thoughts or guide you in another direction, opportunities and experiences lead you to what you will love best.

Everything in life is learned through trial and error and the best way to learn is by getting your feet wet. I am looking forward to my internship and the learning opportunities it will provide. It is another step towards figuring out what I want to do with my life and that can’t be a bad thing!

If any of you have received your job descriptions for your internships, I would love to hear them! I think it would also help potentially spark future interests for others by hearing about what your internships will entail.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend

~ Lost soul swimming in a fish bowl

confused about being confused

Hello, friends

As you can see, there has been a slight lull in my blog progress. Considering the title of my site “The rambling of a confused pre-professional”… I thought it seemed fitting to point out that I have spent the past weeks pondering about what to even write for my next blog.

I came to this conclusion; I am confused about being confused. I think to myself: why am I so stressed out about moving forward? Why am I so confused about what lies ahead? Most importantly, why should I care about being confused about what lies ahead? The only simple answer I can accept is — I just do.

Typically I think we are all programmed to worry about the unknown and I am no different. I find myself laughing from time to time, mostly at myself, for not being able to be carefree so to speak. I even look back at some of my previous posts and think to myself — why can’t I listen to my own advice? Here I am, trying to inspire everyone to stay positive and welcome the unknown,yet I cannot seem to embrace the thought process myself.

Do any of you find yourselves fluctuating in terms of motivation and inspiration from day to day? Because I find it almost daunting at times — One day I am on the positive train and the next, I am absolutely terrified. Deep down I truly believe it is mind over matter that will make all the difference. The hard part is staying focused on achieving that particular frame of mind. One day at a time I guess.

Next week’s post will involve tidbits from a Persuasive presentation on ‘Not having a plan’. I will include a song that will be played during that presentation, as a constant reminder about life in general.

~ Lost soul swimming in a fish bowl

Chasing the years of my life

One of my old friends from high school had a picture posted on facebook that immediately struck me.

The message seems so simple yet almost impossible for me to do. I have spent most of my life analyzing the unknown as opposed to embracing the here and now. However, I have come to the conclusion that having a healthy combination of prospective thoughts and an enthusiasm for the moment, will ultimately create the best blend of you. We will be happier for appreciating every bit of the good and bad, therefore more capable of contributing to society in a positive way. As the message said, whether loving it or hating it, the important part is learning from it. Without learning, there is no improvement and without improvement there is no such thing as success.

Regardless of how young or old we are, living each moment will naturally determine our future. As I mentioned in a previous blog, as long as we are facing forward, life will happen.

I think each and every one of us will be surprised about what we are capable of accomplishing, whether we know the specifics of what we want or not. Why do we have to be so busy chasing what is next on our list? Why not embrace today and see where life takes us. ‘Go with the flow’, as our guest speaker, Jayme Nesbitt, said today. Our ambitions and our overarching drive to succeed will surely land you where you are meant to be. It will take hard work, determination and heart, but you will always be able to find your way.

These are the thoughts that I will use to reassure me about the unknowns that lie ahead. I hope they will help you as well.

Here is the song 100 years by Five for Fighting. There are numerous interpretations of this song, but in this particular moment I would like to focus on the message of appreciating the moment as opposed to continuously chasing the years of my life.

100 years

~ Lost soul swimming in a fish bowl

Drifting

A friend of mine just recommended this guitarist to me because of his similarity to Xavier Rudd whom I enjoy. The similarity is based on the unique sounds and style of music. It is a purely instrumental piece, but is absolutely fantastic especially for a man with such large fingers! I was impressed. 

I also thought it was fitting for my blog, as it is called Drifting. Hope you enjoy! 

~ Lost soul swimming in a fish bowl

It’s only life

Welcome back. 

I have always been and continue to be the type of person who seems to worry about the future in a wave-like fashion. In kindergarten all I cared about was naptime, in grade five it was recess and then suddenly grade eight hit me. I remember feeling such angst about the dreadful transition into high school. Once I arrived though, I loved it.

Grades 9-11 were pretty easy-going. I worked hard in school and assumed it would provide me with opportunities in the end. I had never truly given much thought to a potential career until grade 12. I struggled during grade 12 and OAC trying to decide on a career path and a future. I always felt an incredible amount of pressure, not necessarily from external factors but more so because of my own desire to succeed. I just simply did not know in what. 

After researching universities and the coinciding degree options, the only one that stood out from the rest was a degree in Psychology. I was comforted by the fact that it was a broad discipline and didn’t have to make a career choice that instant. My first few years of university were stress free, well in terms of deciding a career that is. I had realized being a Psychologist was out of the question because I would have taken my work home with me. 

I added business to my educational repertoire as of 3rd year university. I thought it would compliment the knowledge I gained in Psychology and open my career prospects even further. I was right. 

I entered full-blown stress mode once 4th year arrived. I spent the entire summer researching various career paths. Everything I read seemed so intimidating, because I think and worry too much at times. I suddenly remembered two separate individuals recommending that I look into post-graduate programs in Human Resources and Public Relations.

I researched both and here’s how my thought process went. October 15, HR it is! October 17, no I think I want PR. October 20, you know what, I think I may just want to skip post-grad altogether and look for a job. October 22, I made a big mistake, I am not ready for the real world. November 2, I am just going to go with my gut and send an application for PR. 

That brings us to today. Only now we are fast approaching our internship and the end of our post-graduate program is near. I imagine many of you had worries come and go in a wave-like fashion as well. For those who knew what they wanted, I am truly envious but for those who didn’t, I hope you have enjoyed the ride. 

Even though I have never truly been able to pinpoint what I want, aside from general references such as success and happiness, I have enjoyed every bit of the ride. The people I have met, the broad education I have received and the various experiences that came my way. All of these factors made me the person I am today. 

I have faith that the opportunities will come. They will come for all of us, as long as we make the effort. If I could give you any advice, it would be to tackle everything one step at a time because eventually as long as you are facing forward, life will happen. 

Here’s a sound clip of one of my favourite songs about not running from life. The song is called ‘It’s only Life’ by Kate Voegele. Enjoy!

It’s only Life

Tune in next week for more rambling…

~ Lost soul swimming in a fish bowl

Where will life lead me?

Hello, friends. Thank you for visiting my blog. 

I originally posted my first blog a few days ago. However, I came to realize I did not give you any background or information on the topic of choice and why I chose this topic. So please let me start over. 

As many of you may have noticed, I can be a worry wart time and time again. Often times, I worry about trivial things but I also worry about the uncertainties of the future. I know many of us are at a stage right now where we are unsure as to what our futures hold. Rightly so. There are so many questions: Where will our education take us? What city  will we be living in? Are we making the right decisions? 

I thought I would take this opportunity to create an online diary incorporating the 5 W’s and 1 H about my life. Who am I? What am I doing? Where am I going? Why am I doing what I’m doing? When will I get there? and how will I do it?

I think this particular topic is quite fitting for all of us, simply because most of us are experiencing many of the same questions. I know I am often comforted when speaking with others about their own worries about the future, so I hope this blog will comfort you as well.

I will not only focus on the specific worries but also add ways that I am trying to reduce that stress. It may be through a song I listen to, an inspirational quote or a positive notion. Ultimately I hope to reassure you AND me that sometimes the best things in life are the unexpected moments.

Any comments throughout would be appreciated. I would love to hear about some of your worries about the future in order to help provide any insight I may find or have! I would also love to hear any insight you may have as well. 

The rambling begins…

 

~ Lost soul swimming in a fish bowl (Pink Floyd – Wish you were here)