Changing Stops and Pursuing Happiness

On your way to your destination, did you ever get off a bus, a train, or a jeepney (if in the Philippines.) to take another one? Did you you ever stop in your tracks and choose to go another way or take another path? What if it involves your career choices and you re-evaluate only to find out you are filled with uncertainty?

I ask myself, with the changing economy right now and with the level of competitiveness of the field(s) I would like to get into, do I have a chance to reserve a slot for myself? If I do manage to get in, how long can I stay and will it be worth pursuing?

I have so many questions about where I am at and about where I am going. I have so many apprehensions about my progress and my chances of finding what I've been looking for. I also have a dilemma of deciding on whether or not I should pursue a path that appears to be practical, or do I do continue to go pursuing the lines of furthering my craft?

I will soon know the answers...meanwhile, I have to wait patiently and do what I can for now.

***

I am watching the movie The Pursuit of Happyness as I continue blogging, and again I am reminded of the fear of going through the hardship of having so little to live with. It goes beyond money, and the movie reminds me of how important it is to be at the right place at the right time, make the right decisions, and have the right strategy not to mention the right attitude and disposition.

Even the main character, with the little that he had, had to make some changes in order to get more out of life. I am very drawn to the character of Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) because of how he did not let ego, pride, and the odds that were obviously against him stop him from finding ways to make good of a bad situation.

I could relate with what he said about how when he was young, he felt good with envisioning about the possibilities of what he would become---then he never became any of those. Failure after failure, he forced himself to keep on going. He did not let his lack of experience and qualifications scare him away from venturing into something that in itself was already beyond the realm of his comfort zone.

Not only did he refuse to allow society to dictate to him where he belongs, but he himself did not put limits to what he could get himself into.

All these reflections are all too important for me to ignore at this new chapter of my life. I have already left my comfort zone, and I am about to step further away from it. I am afraid, very afraid and yet I know that maybe this is what I need to actually make something of myself.

I sometimes think, I am lagging too far behind compared to my peers, and yet I am reminded time and time again that I have had a number of achievements under my belt and I did not fail to spread my wings. Just like anything and anyone else however, I evolve and I do encounter hurdles and I do fall from time to time. Having said this, I have to be reminded that I am not to be measured by my past, present, and future failures.

We all have our own yardsticks of success. We also have our own ways of measuring how we fare compared to other people and how we regard other people. By the end of the day however, we will realize that it will be useless to compare, and even our own methods of measurements can be challenged by time and circumstance.

I'd like to think then that for as long as we continue pursuing happiness, and continue in our self discovery, then we're not doing so bad.

I leave you with this very special dialogue from the said movie...
"Christopher Gardner: Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You can't do something. Not even me. All right?
Christopher: All right.
Christopher Gardner: You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period. "

Quote Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/quotes
Photo Source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Essentials

As we get older, one thing is for sure and that is we are bound to get hurt and taste the pains that life may bring. No one can escape it and we feel it at varying degrees throughout our lives. Some people have even been quoted for saying that you have not experienced life until you have experienced hurt...or was it love?

We are bound to get hurt when we love someone; anyone for that matter. Someone is bound to disappoint us, neglect us, or even forget about us. In as much as we are capable of being hurt, we also have the capability to inflict pain on other people. Some even believe that the people who we love the most, are the people who we hurt the most.

I agree with this at times. I think that the people with whom we are close to, and with whom we feel most comfortable are those that are easiest to take for granted. We know that these are the people who either accept us and love us unconditionally, or who have no choice but to accept us and live with us. This is why, we would like to believe that our loved ones love us in spite of- and because of- not despite of- our imperfections. Ironic as this may seem at times, I feel that this is what keeps us sane.

If animals do die of loneliness and depression, I believe that people do too. I say this because as I become older, life reveals to me the beauty and importance of family and friendships. There may be times of unrest and even broken trust, but if relationships are mended and love prevails then all is well.

I just feel that during this period of so much uncertainty and searching, that I am holding on to the very essentials and nothing more. I am loved, I am able to love, and waking up each day knowing this makes me feel alive.

Sure, we feel pain from time to time and it sucks but for as long as I know that I am loved then it can make the pain go away.

I'm thankful because I have my family and I have my friends. I am still blessed.

Thank you.