No matter what you are trying to achieve in life, the first step always occur within ourselves.
When I started to look for my first summer job, I quickly felt frustrated. I thought the steps to getting a job was simply:
I had applied to various company, but no one wanted to hire me. I got stuck on step 2, so I became upset at the companies and blamed them for my unemployment. I did not get a job that summer.
Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
Looking back on it now, it is clear to me that was the wrong reaction. Blaming something that I couldn't control might make me feel better temporarily, but it's useless for achieving the goal: getting a job.
What I should've done was figure out how I can change the situation. I should've taken a look at the steps and see what I can do to get to number 3. If I did that, I could've easily seen that my real issue was step number 1 - applying to companies.
Am I presenting myself properly to these companies? What can I even offer to companies? Can my resume be improved? Are my interview skills ok?
These were the real questions that I should've been asking myself instead of moping around wondering why these companies couldn't see how great I was.
Focus on what you can do to change the situation
By the next summer, I had realized my mistake. I approached my job search this time around differently.
I focused on what I can do to change the situation. I didn't just sit around waiting for companies to notice me. And it worked. I got my first job that summer.
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TLDR: We can always hope that the situation outside of us to miraculously change, but we shouldn't bank on that. Instead, we should focus on what we can do within our own powers.