There are still two months left until the end of 2015. I am very proud of all the progress I have made thus far, especially my change in mindset. I've learned so much this year, met so many incredible people worldwide, and was actively a part of many meaningful and rewarding projects.
Sometimes I forget everything that I've been through. I forget to celebrate little successes along the way and I forget to be grateful and appreciate life and who I am.
I think a lot about my struggles and how far I have to go, not enough about my success and how far I've come.
This post is a reminder to not be so hard on myself.
For the longest time, my grades and my past defined who I was.
I should not feel the need to overwhelm myself and take on too many commitments just to prove my self-worth to others and especially to myself.
What matters most is what I’m doing in right now, in the present moment.
I'm at that stage where I feel trapped between all that I've done and all that I have yet to accomplish, the constant struggle between knowing that I'm capable of so much more but not feeling confident in my own abilities. The battle of working on the mindset, managing time, and becoming the ultimate player in this 'waiting game'.
This is all part of a beautiful journey. It's time to take another leap of faith into the unknown and trust that the universe has your back. Miracles have happened before, it will happen again. It is possible. I'M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E.
It all started ...
When I followed my intuition and took a leap of faith. I enrolled into a networking program and worked with a mentor during my final term of undergrad.
I said YES to life and many doors of opportunities opened throughout the year.
I was offered an internship prior to graduation after my first networking conference
After my first networking conference, I followed-up with the co-founder of a non-profit I wanted to work with. He invited me for coffee and offered me an internship right on the spot. It was one of my most rewarding experiences to work with an incredibly passionate group of individuals who create a huge impact in this world. I also learned the a lot from this internship. This is how you create your own opportunity.
Doctors For Doctors / Nurses For Nurses is a charitable organization that provides scholarships for medical and nursing students to increase access to healthcare in Nicaragua. Check out their work!
My internship and networking skills lead me to tutor ESL
One of the projects of my internship required me to reach out and network even more. This event gave me the opportunity to serve the community by tutoring ESL to international high school students. It was the perfect opportunity for me at the time because I wanted to gain experience teaching English for when I work abroad in South Korea. I didn't even need an interview for this. It was a rewarding experience to be able to teach and mentor these young people who have so much potential in them. It was amazing to be able to witness and be a part of their growth.
My desire to grow and travel led me to get paid to travel and work with young leaders at a fun-loving company (I Love Travel!)
Every time I look back at this experience, I am still in awe as how I did it. It forced me to step out of my comfort zone and I realized that I was more capable that I could ever imagine. I was a trip leader and lead 50 high-energy senior high school students to and from Montreal. I interacted with and supervised over 300+ students and it was an intensive week of no sleep and 24/7 staff support to ensure that these students have a trip of a lifetime. It was so challenging, but I had the best team ever. It was definitely was one my most memorable travel and leadership experience.
My first permanent full-time job
I remember the entire process to obtain this position took several weeks. I had to go through an intense multi-stage interview. Out of all of my previous jobs in the past, I've learned the hardest lessons from this one that will be remembered for a lifetime. Some of the lessons are included in my post here.
I obtained a Teaching English As A Second Language Certification
Taking a TESOL certification was mandatory for my teaching abroad experience, but it’s worth completing if you truly care about your students and becoming a “good” teacher. This is especially beneficial for those who aren’t certified to teach and are first-time teachers. It could also leads to future opportunities - I taught in Toronto after I returned home!
I was a part of 3 big conferences in a month:
SIPO Power of Ideas Conference
SIPO Foundation (Spreading Ideas Providing Opportunities) is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to empowering young professionals to become leaders within their communities. They host annual networking events, workshops, and conferences.
I’M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E Seminar
I'M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E is a performance seminar that demonstrates how to discover the limitless power within and create an abundant mindset by applying the Think and Grow Rich philosophy to all areas of your life.
SociaLight Conference
SociaLIGHT is the ultimate leadership and entrepreneurship conference that provides empowerment, inspiration, and support to leaders, startups, and entrepreneurs.
Let me tell you - volunteering for conferences and being a part of communities such as these are truly empowering. This is where you meet courageous people who do big things with their life - even when fear meets them in the eye. And that’s how you dream a little bigger and live a little braver too.
No matter where you are in life, remember to celebrate all the little things - big or small.
(Edited April 20th, 2019)