STRUGGLES, MUSINGS AND ADVENTURES OF A FRESH GRADUATE; Part 2

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"Life must be a preparation for the transition to another dimension”- Terence McKenna
Truth holds the above saying and such is applicable to everyone in life for life is made up of different phases.
While we are focusing on campus -to-corporate kind of transition, I believe the transitioning mayhems, uncertainties, adventures and principles of handling the same are applicable for a manager moving from company A to B, a civil servant heading to retirement, a newly married couple, a first time mom and so on and so forth.
While the struggles, disappointments and worry-episodes are unavoidable, it is possible to get to choose calmness, patience and hope amidst the chaos. Someone said, it's not about how long you wait, it's what you do while waiting. In the wait, we are refined and readied for what lies ahead.
Over the transition period I have tried to find meaningful activities to engage in, attended a couple of workshops, completed a few online trainings, meeting up with friends, read great books, getting enough rest, listening to good music and from my own experience, I have a few lessons to share.

Heart Check 

Like most graduates, I've always been hopeful that I'd land a job soon after, a well paying job like I said before. Talk about ceiling breaking expectations! While it's good for me (and any other graduate) to have high expectations for the kind of job and pay they would like, it's only wise to keep the expectations in balance. It's good to identify where our expectations come from; ourselves, our families or the society?
Expectations can bring with them unnecessary and nerve wrecking pressure. It's only important that we learn to give ourselves a break. Let's not let our minds rest on what we could be doing but rather see value in relaxation.
Our expectations should be our motivators, pushing us to do better not making us feel bad if we don't 'get it'. Let's focus on spinning the negatives into positives. Let's also learn how to carefully learn how to deal with societal expectations and pressures.

Stick to Your Lane
Simply Do You! It's good to admire the way someone else does it, but something is wrong when we start coveting their lives. Coveting pushes us to comparison. Comparison is like going on a shopping spree in the world of jealousy. When jealousy sets in we often forget to take into consideration how this particular person got to where they are. Fact is, many people are headed no where fast, Oops! Speed is good but a vision of where you are headed is even better. We don't need a barometer to know how deep we are lost in strange lanes because we all know deep within when we start veering off to other people's lanes. It happens. But how fast do we regain control over the situation and get back to where we truly belong? 
And while at it, let's learn to be happy when the next person makes moves. That way, we won't spend our days caught up in the quagmire of comparison.

Live In The Moment
Most of us graduates are busy living in the fantasy of the bright-less-work-more money kind of world until we forget that today, this moment is meant to be enjoyed.
Honestly speaking, I can be such a worry-wart! Being a melancholic (as it takes the greater percentage of my temperament) means I like it when I have things figured out way before they materialize. Planning before hand is my specialisation. It's possible to spend days living in my  well thought out future. Truth is, I can not really have the best of both worlds, at the same time. Over time I have allowed myself to stop by and smell the roses, to rest when I need to, to connect with other people and to be kind to myself as often as I can because worrying about the future will most definitely suck today's joy.
I love how this is illustrated in Matthew 6: 25-34. The AMP version (my favourite) terms the specific verses as "Cure for Anxiety". What catches my attention is the fact that birds neither sow nor reap, yet God keeps feeding them.. The Lilies and wild flowers neither labor nor do they spin yet not even Solomon (with all his splendour) could outshine them.... And the greatest thing is that I /You/We are worth much more than the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. And so worrying shouldn't even feature in our vocabularies for tomorrow will worry about itself. Here's to mastering the art of living a day at a time.

Seek To Grow 
The best time to prepare for war is not when the enemy attacks! The best time to prepare is when no attacks have been launched. In the words of the famous Roman General Vegetius, if you want peace, prepare for war" and vice versa.
If you desire to be a trusted employee/co-founder /manager someday, then now is the time to harness the skill to be a trustworthy person, diligent in everything you do, dependable and profitable.
In the transition period we can choose to get to know how to build a desirable and lasting personal work ethic. How do we successfully resolve conflict at a workplace? How can we possibly use our skills to positively impact the place we are at?
Thanks to technology, we have almost everything we need on our laps, or desks or in our hands. You can access a number of courses online on each and every field of study for free, unless you need certification (of course you'll need bundles/Wi-Fi). I will be sharing links for some Apps that offer such courses at the end of the write up.

Your Networks!
They say, your network is your net worth! This however doesn't translate to the 'mtu wetu' syndrome. We are talking about authentic networks. People who we meet along the way, whether random or on purpose. These are the people who get us to levels that we desire to be, in the present or the future.
For a long time, the notion has been that networking is for the extroverted people since they easily kick start or contribute to ongoing conversations. That meant introverts can only be spectators in this corner of the world... Sadly, I have carried the notion with me as well. Until this one time when we were at an event and the person who was seated next to me brought up a challenge. Both of us would identify three random people in the tent, walk up to them and strike a conversation for not less than five minutes! Those must have been the longest five minutes of my life   Initially I gave an excuse, that I wasn't used to starting up conversations, but it was just that, an excuse. The first person was quite bubbly so that went well. The second person was rather chilled. As I progressed to the third person, it was time for our meal to be served, let's just say that the meal saved my life 
Bottom line, this person helped me understand that networking in itself is a skill that can be acquired and perfected by anyone, as long as they are interested. You won't believe it, but lately I'm the kind of person who gets all excited about networking events, meeting up great minds, listening to ideas from new people and I'm still getting used to starting up conversations. Again with technology, you get to search for and secure your space at several events across the country/globe. Eventbrite has been my go to App, Facebook, IG, Twitter are also quite resourceful (hakuna kukosa form ya weekends  Though I still have days where I'd rather be indoors, with loose comfy clothes, my head buried in a good book, gentle music in the background and no where else to be but in my room).

God
Everything else might be adding up but God crowns it all. He knows it all, even before we send out those applications, He knows which ones will go through and which ones will be unsuccessful. There's a certain vernacular song that talks about how "there's no dustbin in which a righteous people's prayers are disposed".... (please don't laugh so hard, I tried my best to do a direct translation here)
I am a firm believer in the favour that God bestows to those who choose to believe and trust in Him for all that they dream of in this fleeting life. God is not cynical to brush off our desires and dreams. He asks us to make our plans known to Him, to seek Him and the righteousness first and all that we desire (that I'd according to His perfect will) will follow suit. He's a friend with whom we can have the hard conversations, pour out our hearts to and rest in the knowledge that He's got our best interests at heart, Jeremiah 29:11 explains it. Talking to Him brings a certain overflow of peace and joy that carries me through tough times. I know this kind of aura around me can only emanate from God Himself.
So over and beyond sending applications, going for interviews and living our best lives, it's key to let God take the lead.
A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the Lord directs his steps and establishes them.
PROVERBS 16:9 AMP

Keeping a journal has also helped me to keep track of events and nothing compares to the joy that fills my heart when I turn the pages, jot down a praise report against a write up that I did when I felt like loosing hope. My year is off to a great start. All by Faith. I am speaking it until I see it (we past the fake it till you make it) ✌ ✌ 

Check out these links for a variety of courses and events

coursera.org  edx.org  eventbrite.com

My friends and I at an event that we got to know of through Eventbrite (2018)