I wonder if Avicii had me in mind when they wrote their hit song Wake Me Up (see lyrics here). It's not often that a song strikes a chord in me because it accurately and poignantly reflects my current state of mind. Wake Me Up is one of those rare songs that I find myself being able to relate to almost every line.
Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start
When you've been job - hunting for a few months and haven't got an offer yet, you end up doing a lot of soul - searching. I discussed the cycle of ups and downs I underwent while job - hunting in my last post. Now I realize the reason why this job - hunt hasn't been easy for me is because I'm transitioning from the world of academia, which I've known most of my life as a student, to the 'real' working world. It's a big change, and I have to grow up and learn fast in order to get to where I want to be.
But where exactly do I want to be?
And, how do I get there?
They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well that's fine by me
I did have an idea what sort of jobs and what industries I'd like to work in before I graduated, and I did pick up skills and work experiences that would be useful. Getting the jobs I'm interested in has not been easy though, mainly due to the competition from fellow job-seekers, my status as a fresh graduate and the fact that year - end period tends to be a lull on the recruitment front.
I have little choice but to re-evaluate my expectations and aspirations. This involves tackling fundamental questions like who I am and what do I want in life, and I'm still struggling to find concrete answers to these big questions.
So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself, and I
Didn't know I was lost
It just struck me that perhaps the only way to find the answers to these questions is to not ponder about it too much now but keep moving forward in life and discover them slowly along the way. No one grows up in an instant after all; maturity and wisdom are works in progress.
And I, am a work in progress too, albeit at a somewhat confused stage at this moment.
I can only keep my head up and continue to have faith in myself. Search for possibilities and opportunities, pursue them and learn along the way. Not give up on my dreams so fast but continue to let them inspire me. I'd like to think that I'll get there someday, and the future me who made it will look back across those years of hard work at the present me, shake her head and say with a smile "Don't you worry so much, everything will be all right in the end."
Forward, that's the only way to go.
