“Just because you are struggling does not mean you are failing.”
Life was never easy for my family. My parents had to work hard to send me and my siblings to school. Everyday was a struggle. When I was still studying, my goal was to graduate college on time and give my family a more comfortable life.
I remember promising my parents that our situation would be better once I graduate. I was confident that I will find a good job with high pay in no time. I was excited to get into the real world and succeed. I've always thought that it was going to be easy because on my mind, finishing college was the real challenge.
Of course, I was wrong
I realized how hard it is to get a decent job by the time I was looking for one. I rejected jobs that I didn't like and I was rejected by the jobs I actually want. I was unemployed for two whole months. When I finally got an offer in a town near our home, I accepted it even if the rate was the provincial minimum. Afterall, it was better than nothing.
I stayed in that company for two years until I felt that I wasn’t growing anymore. The pay never increased much but the benefits were good. I earned enough to help my family survive daily, but not enough to prepare for the future. I then tried looking for greener pastures. When I was offered an opportunity in the Metro, I grabbed it right away. The salary was higher and the work seemed more challenging. I thought that maybe THIS IS IT!
But again, I was wrong
That new job gave me the hardest time. For a reason I never figured out, my manager dislikes me (he wasn't the one who interviewed and hired me). The job wasn't what I expected. The "bigger" salary all went to paying taxes, rent and commute. I had no savings. I had little to give my parents. One of my sisters had to stop schooling to work instead. It was so stressful, I even lost weight. After the four long months, I decided to quit.
A month of unemployment and a number of failed applications after, I finally got a new job with a higher salary. With this, I was certain that I'd be able to save and help my parents more. Desperate to start, I didn't bother to test waters and just quickly dived in.
Only on my first day did I realize I was the only Filipino in the office. It was a new and small company with only four people including the owner. They speak their native language most of the time and only speak English when talking to me directly. I felt like a foreigner in my own country. The culture differences were also hard to comprehend. I was being "rude" and offensive without knowing it. Moreover, my government contributions were never paid. There's no system. No definite job description. No regularity. I wasn’t allowed to do anything unless they say so. It felt like I didn’t have my own mind and I was just there to follow orders. It was definitely not something I would want for long-term.
I had thoughts of resigning since my third month. But where would I go? What would I do? I can’t make quitting a habit. At least not too soon.
Now, I’ve stayed in that company for a total of 15 months. And it ends there. I don’t know if I’d regret this but I can’t take it anymore. It was a sudden decision but a firm one. I didn’t even had a back up plan when I filed my resignation days ago.
In two weeks, I will again be unemployed
It has been four years after my graduation, but I still haven’t given my parents what I promised.
I was struggling since then, and I am still struggling now.
Whenever I see some of my batch mates having great jobs in big companies, buying cars, building their own house, pursuing post-graduate studies and granting their parents grand vacations, I can't help but ask myself,
Am I a failure?
This mantra was shared by a friend who came accross my facebook feed just in time as I was dwelling on my so-called failures.
And it was right!
Every success requires some kind of struggle to get there.
Also, I got inspired and researched some great success stories that did not come overnight. Have you heard of these?
I am just 23 years old! How could I even think I was already a failure? I am still young and fresh with a lot of experience! And the struggles only add up to it! I may still not find my dream job soon but at least I’ll be free from something that is far from it. And I’ll have more time for Steemit! :) I know that someday, if not soon, I’d be able to fulfill my promise to my parents.
In God’s perfect time.
I’ve also applied this mantra on my steemit journey as I was only making cents on my posts. I almost gave up and thought that steemit is not for me. But I didn’t. I kept trying hard and put more effort on my blogs. My recent blogs are now earning more! Some were even feautured by @teardrops , @poeticsnakes and @steemph.manila! (Again and again, thank you guys!)
I know I’m not the only one who is experiencing such, so for everybody who is struggling right now,
Repeat after me:
“Just because you are struggling does not mean you are failing.”
Keep believing and good things will happen.
Thanks for reading!
(All photos are from google)
I nominate my fellow redfish @chrisvee to join this One Liner Life Mantra Contest by @mermaidvampire.
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