Start Walking ..
“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears’’ Rumi
I had this quote up in our team office for more than a year, and I found it to be inspiring, but I was one of the last people to act on the message. One of my colleagues told me how reading this message enabled her to believe in herself and make big changes in the work she wanted to do and the life she wanted to live. I realize that the message in the quote was motivating but for a while, I lacked the courage to make drastic decisions because I was afraid of the unknown. I was not ready to just start walking and wait for the way to appear.
As someone who is often hesitant, I wanted to see the way before I started the journey, to see the destination and to know exactly where I was going. But we all know the problem with that. We fall into the space where we are constantly waiting. And what is the problem with waiting? It is crippling. Waiting for the right time to transition from a job, waiting for a lifetime opportunity, waiting to be chosen or recognized for something… We have long lists of things we are waiting for, and sometimes, we are doing very little to make these things a reality.
When I finally made the decision to adjust my life, as difficult as it was to transition from a world I had known for so many years, I was surprised by the new opportunities that came my way. It was not perfect, but it was exactly what I needed. New challenges and better ways for me to put my skills into practice. So now, I am grateful that I made this decision and I had the chance to see the benefits of exploring new things from a point of faith. It is also good to note that when you want to start a new journey, it is good to have a general idea about where you are going. It is not only about faith and stepping up, so here are some of the things you could think about:
It is never about speed — When you are moving from one thing to a different one, you do not have to do this in a high speed. You can take small steps and make progress every day, but the point is you keep moving, you keep walking, you move forward!
Define your goals — Think about what you would like to achieve, why you are making this shift and what are the main changes you would like to make? Even though you might not have everything figured out, it is always important to know what you want to achieve from every experience. This kind of clarity gives you more focus, even when you get lost along the way, you will still end up finding your way back to the right track.
Share your plans with your community — When our former boss was asked about how she was able to set up a successful organization, she mentioned that sharing her dream with others was definitely one of the ways she made it. Sharing your dream with others is a way to push yourself and have accountability but it also opens doors to additional opportunities. You meet people who may have great tips to help with whatever you are trying to do, people who can introduce you to others who will be of great hep to you, or people who you can partner with. So, think about your community as a resource and share your plans, goals and dreams with them. You never know what will come out of that. I know for me; my community has been a great blessing!
I have recently started a new journey as a graduate student. This has been an exciting and challenging experience in equal measure. In just three weeks, I feel like I am in a maze and I am working on finding my way around. From working through a lot of reading, lectures, trying to figure out useful note taking strategies, maneuvering the initial assignments, discussions and trying to be a good student. Even with all these going on, I have been pushing myself to keep going towards the right direction. This week is when I am beginning to settle into a routine and have more clarity on exactly what I am doing. I am in this new space and I plan to continue moving forward and I believe the way will continue to appear, not just with school but with my plans afterwards as well.