Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Reality Break

I've survived an entire year in the so-called, "real world" and it has seemed like an entire blur. To cap this little feat off, I spent about 3 days in the purest form of nature. Camping in the Boundary Waters. 
Sunset (no photo-editing needed)
Seeing that the first night, all those worries that the real world emits just melts away. This trip was a great time to reflect, realize, and renew. Granted, my fellow friends that I accompanied up there with probably wondered why I spent so much time daydreaming most of the day, but that's another story. 
Last September, I found a job with a Nationally Recognized Retailer. I told myself I would find a job that interested me and I found a sense of accomplishment instead of working in Retail. Since then I've had numerous phone interviews and interviews, but to no avail, I'm still climbing the retail ladder. But with all the interviews, I was able to practice being more comfortable with the awkward silence of one-on-one interviews and even the popular, "Phone-Interviews."
 With each job application that I applied for, I find myself learning a little more about how the business world works and how I know absolutely nothing. Thousands of ways to "prep" your resume, create the "buzz-word" central of a cover letter, and use that great "networking-system" to find your dream job. It's all a headache to try and master, but in the end, hopefully it will bring up an opportunity where I can't turn it down.

 One of my proudest accomplishments has been the improvement of my health and fitness over the entire year. I've realized that health & fitness should rather be viewed as a long-term goal, rather than a short term. It wasn't until month 6-8 that it occurred to me that all the hard work I spent investing at the local 24/7 gym was paying off. I struggled with not seeing any results during the first 3-4 months, which I had a self-battle of: Is this working? Am I doing this right? Why aren't I seeing any changes? It must be genetics... (excuse after excuse, I had it all)
 Thankfully, I have a lot of encouragement of friends and other local gym mates that made me not want to quite and pushed me further than I've been. It came to me that to excel and push through all barriers, sometimes it takes an outside element. 
 It's also great to have friends that challenge yourself to workouts or different movements that you aren't used to. I've been blessed with the chance to try various styles of physical activities that range from, yoga, Muay Thai, power lifting, stretching & stability training, cross fit training, Brazilian jiu jitsu, basketball leagues, sand volleyball leagues, strength&endurance building, and the list goes on and on as I get introduced to new forms. 
 It's great to learn and discover that there are several ways to accomplish something and that no particular way is better or worse than the other. They are just different. I think this is a great attitude to have when we face the challenges that run into on our journey.

One of the major things I pondered about on this great nature adventure was how I needed to step up my game. How much time I spend on nonconstructive activities or hobbies that will not get me to where I want to be in the next few years. Tasks, goals (short & long), journals, writings, and challenges have never been a part of how I lived my life. But yet, as I have learned  over the course of the year, those things are very important to developing the path you'll take to achieve your dream.
The biggest fear I have is the presence of those great things called, Student Loans. It's that deep fear of, taking a chance of what I want to do, but facing the reality that there isn't enough financial stability to pursue it and make the monthly payments that are on top of rent, utilities, food, gas, etc... 
It's such a crazy world, that I don't know how some people do it. It may all stem from me having this fear of being in debt that I can't see anything but the negatives or I just see people setting themselves up for disaster later in life and can't believe what I'm seeing.   
Back to Reality
 The best realization I had over this trip was the fact of how much we can accomplish in a year or how little we can accomplish. This must be the difference between the super successful and the mediocre. The hard work, repetitive-boring-practice, challenges and barriers that we must face and overcome through-out our journey on this giant-spinning-slab of space rock. 
It's easy to get down about all the things that I should have, could have, wished I had done this or that. The fact that I let that one slip through my fingers, or let that stranger walk out the door before I had to the chance to meet them. 
A change of view and they all become motivation to capitalize on all the opportunities that will arise in the near-future. Just another small yet quite beautiful life lesson.
Much Love,

Alastar Swift


Ps: The Real World does not work like the sorely missed College World. Time to step up to the new curve.
 *** I picked up a few sponsors. So click the ad on the side to get in shape and dominate this world before Dec 21, 2012!!! Various products ranging from, healthly skin promotion and detox plans, to supplements and workouts that will help you achieve all the gains you want. Shoot me a message for more info. *** 

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