FALLING….

All too often we trip, stumble over and lie on the dusty and harsh sidewalk. The humiliation of getting up, the anticipated stares and burst of laughter to follow is traumatizing. As if the fall was not embarrassing enough, we have to get up, clean ourselves and pretend like nothing happened. Some of us stumble off staircases, others simply over an uneven pathway.  The humiliation is all the same despite the type of fall you endure.

I’ve seen an alarming number of my friends falling… sinking… and drowning.  A large number of these friends are drowning in Graduate Programmes that don’t serve their expectations; some facing emotional break downs over failed relationships and others simply fighting a losing battle with their academics and as if things were not bad enough, the year is pacing towards the end with not a single goal in arm’s reach.

When faced with such falls, getting up, brushing off the dust and being on your way is not as easy as 1 2 3. It is harder keeping your eye on the end goal. It is almost impossible to keep the smile of optimism when nothing seems to be going well. But it is in our nature to keep ourselves going, pacing towards those very goals we have set for ourselves.

I recently heard a “week’s changing line” from an old movie, A Maid in Manhattan. It inspired me to share my sentiments about falling because it is inevitable not to fall in life. Every single person goes through a period of falling and what made this movie memorable is when they said: “What we do does not define who we are ... what defines us is how we rise after we have fallen”

I learnt that despite what we face in life, irrespective of how big or small, it is how we rise after the fall that defines our character,  that which determines who we are. It is the ability to admit that you have fallen and asking for a helping hand. It is overcoming your ego that will make room for better opportunities in life. It is accepting the pain, dealing with it and moving on.

So if you are suffering from a failed relationship... get up and try again. If you are depressed over that test that did not go as well as you’d hoped, get up and study for the exams. If you are in that job that brings you unhappiness... embrace that you have a job and learn as much as you can...

Falling will wound you, but healing will come sooner than you anticipate. And when it does... you need to be ready to get up and be on your way...

STUCK

It is 8: 15pm and here I sit... no drop of motivation... no thread of hope... looking at the computer screen. It feels like I’ve spent my entire life here, doing the same thing each morning. The room is furnished with just a bed, bar fridge and a study desk. The text books pile on my desk, creating a barrier to what seems a bright future. I cannot help realise that there a world out there... a future, and here I am... sitting and waiting.

I’ve been told that some people wait for things to happen; others watch as things happen and some simply make it happen. It is an obvious choice which type of person  we all would like to be... it is everyone’s dream to want to make things happen; to follow your dream, to conquer the world and be wealthy.

But why does it feel like I am stuck in a rut. Why does it feel like I am wasting time sitting here, reading all these books that seem irrelevant. Why does it feel like I am waiting for things to happen, when I so badly want things to happen?

It feels like I am walking through a dark tunnel; where the light doesn’t seem at arm’s reach. It feels like I am stuck at one place, with not a foot step towards tomorrow.  I feel caged, like a bird behind these “prison walls”.

How many of you feel stuck? How many of you feel like life has not changed in a long time? How many of you feel like you’ve made no progress?

Someone told me that in order to achieve, you need to endure the darkness in order to appreciate the light; that we need to take one step at a time, in order to reach the finish line. That the process of education is not easy nor is it fun; that there are no short cuts to success.

So for those of you, feeling stuck; keep going... keep studying... and keep the dream alive.

Being stuck is a temporary situation, getting you ready for what is to come. Being stuck is a chance to you to prepare and do all the dirty, unpleasant tasks so you can appreciate a brighter tomorrow.