Serendipity
Feb 2013
The process started December 2012, when I received email
about an interview (for a position I had forgotten I’d applied for!). About a
month later, I was offered the position (unpaid, as it were…) and I was faced
with the decision to drop everything and pack up and move to the big city…or
stay comfortable and content in my hometown. I’ve discovered that the phrase,
“I was born ready” is emphatically inapplicable to me. A more apt phrase is
more like, “ready or not, here I come” (and I’m usually not ready). However, I
have also found that we grow very little by staying in situations and places
where we are comfortable; the majority of our personal growth occurs when we
step out of that comfort zone and see where the discomfort, the unknown, and
the actions those feelings trigger, lead us. As you may already know, I decided
that scared and nervous as I might be, the opportunity to intern with the
United Nations Development Program was too good to pass up; and perhaps too
serendipitous to ignore.
You may or may not know the famous book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (if you don’t, I HIGHLY recommend you go pick it up right now). While I have always been predisposed to “follow my path” per the series of serendipitous events that have led me to this place, Paulo Coelho’s words resonated deeply with me. In fact, they expressed verbatim what I have always felt and believed to be true, but had never been able to put into words; namely, that we all have a path, and while we have choice and free will to follow it or not, if we actively listen and look for those opportunities, it will all fall into place. Call it serendipity, call it God, the universe, or whatever, but if you want something badly enough and it is your “calling” of sorts, it will happen. And this is precisely why I packed up and moved across the country to begin yet another adventure, and hopefully the start of a successful career. If anything, I will grow, refine my goals, and really hone in on my passions. After all, I am young and free of responsibilities, so this is the time to do it, right? It is an investment in my future that thankfully I am able to make, with the love and support of my incredible family and friends (which I am remarkably blessed to have). While I miss home and my support system (family and friends) dearly, I feel that I am in the right place, and thus only good things will come from this. Thanks to everyone who believes in me and supports my unending quest for taking in the world, and hopefully making a positive change.
You may or may not know the famous book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (if you don’t, I HIGHLY recommend you go pick it up right now). While I have always been predisposed to “follow my path” per the series of serendipitous events that have led me to this place, Paulo Coelho’s words resonated deeply with me. In fact, they expressed verbatim what I have always felt and believed to be true, but had never been able to put into words; namely, that we all have a path, and while we have choice and free will to follow it or not, if we actively listen and look for those opportunities, it will all fall into place. Call it serendipity, call it God, the universe, or whatever, but if you want something badly enough and it is your “calling” of sorts, it will happen. And this is precisely why I packed up and moved across the country to begin yet another adventure, and hopefully the start of a successful career. If anything, I will grow, refine my goals, and really hone in on my passions. After all, I am young and free of responsibilities, so this is the time to do it, right? It is an investment in my future that thankfully I am able to make, with the love and support of my incredible family and friends (which I am remarkably blessed to have). While I miss home and my support system (family and friends) dearly, I feel that I am in the right place, and thus only good things will come from this. Thanks to everyone who believes in me and supports my unending quest for taking in the world, and hopefully making a positive change.
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