A sweet dream, a beautiful nightmare or the plain truth?
Ever wondered why do you get that satisfying feeling whenever you picture yourself out achieving your goals? About getting that dream car of yours or that luxurious mansion that you’ve always wanted? Or even just imagining about having a photo with your crush makes you giggle.
How about being depressed whenever your expectations wasn’t met? Or that date of yours that you’ve been looking forward to this whole month which turned out to be such a mess. Ever wondered why?
EXPECTATION VS. REALITY
Let me tell a story about myself and my freelancing journey.
I earned my Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology degree and passed my board exams on 2016 but I was jobless for the next upcoming months. There was no scarcity for the job, (as a matter of fact, it was really in demand) It’s just that I couldn’t imagine myself being a Medical Technologist, It wasn’t my thing (please see my other blog for reference). Fast forward after 6 months, I was on the verge of applying for a job as a Medical Technologist at a private laboratory when a cousin of mine shared that they registered for a coaching session from Filipino Virtual Assistance. She then told me a lot of stuffs about freelancing; about the types of work, about the freedom of choosing when and where to work, and the wage. Yes, the wage intrigued me, who wouldn’t be? Having a larger pay and less hassle captivated the “Juan Tamad” inside of me. Also, I would be able to do the things that I’m passionate about, It’s was a perfect Deus ex machine for my unclear path.
I initially wanted for it to be my part time job since I was advised to practice my profession, but as I started to know the world of freelancing, I thought that it might be a better idea to make it as a priority because like I said, It offers more freedom and flexibility.
Day by day, I began daydreaming about buying my own car, my own house or buying several things and so on. Being inspired is good but mine was too much to the point that I'm not being productive anymore and that I was expecting way too much. I expected that everything would be easy as a pie. I forgot that, "don't count your chickens before they hatch."
As I was learning under FVA and starting to apply for online jobs, I experience a lot of troubles and a lot of hardships (because I was a beginner). Being unnoticed and overlooked by employers for most of the time. Added with some unfortunate events, I was feeling down for the most of the times, my hopes and dreams were slowly getting out of the picture.
BE TRUE AND BE REAL
“I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.” Optimism is good. It’s how we apply optimism that makes it backfire towards us. We tend to misunderstand the meaning of the word itself. “Everything would turn out good” is not optimism, “everything is for the good” is.
Pessimism also helps in certain ways. You wouldn’t be depressed if you fail because you’re already looking forward to that. You’ll see the difficulty in every opportunity so there’s no more room for heart breaks.
Realism is also upright because it helps you see things in the way they should be, you hold no expectations and worries. You just “let them be”. You view things and deal with them in a real-world manner.
But too much of everything is bad. Mix it up, don’t be stuck on one way of progressing towards life. Have some bits of optimism to hope and look forward for your future, have a bit of pessimism to avoid depression and mix in a dash of realism to see life for what it is. Also, add in some idealism for creativity. Be balanced, just like what Jana Kingsford said: “Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.”
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
As I was feeling disheartened, I observed others’ quest for triumph. Then reality hit me hard that not everything in life is going to be easy, if it was, everybody would be triumphant. That’s what separates a victor from everyone else; their will and eagerness to succeed. You don’t simply wish for success, you earn it. Even if you’re passionate about it, the road to success is always paved with failure. You should as well add patience, hard work, a lot of resourcefulness, and a pinch of reality. So don’t be discourage with a simple failure, in life, it’s either you’ll win or you’ll learn. Just don’t expect too much. Indeed, “We only get what we give, no more no less!”
I may not be there yet, but I will never stop trying.
