With the passing of Steve Jobs, I listened to his graduation speech recently. Life is all about connecting the dots.
I come to New York for an interview. I don’t get the job. I stay in New York. I network. I stay with friends. I interview again. And again. I start temping at a commercial real estate and property management company. I answer the phone. I deliver the mail. I continue to network and apply. I find a lunch buddy. Economy is bad. Occupy Wall Street gains attention. I send emails. Suddenly, I get an intro at a company that is a tenant of where I’m working, which feels great.
I’m too close to my own story. I’m in the middle of my own drama. Or is it a comedy? I can’t pull out and see what my life looks like zoomed out, and since I’m so close (as we all are to our own lives) I can’t see what it’s forming. It’s like one of those posters where if you get in close, you can see all of these black and white photos, but when you step back, you see the profile of MLK or something. Distance gives perspective, but if you are too close to the source you don’t have that perspective. And I don’t have that perspective with my life either. So I get discouraged or down because I can’t see what all of these dots are forming or which dot will lead to which dot. I just have to trust the process.
I have to say luck is a big part of it too. I’m extremely lucky to be working at a place where the people around me want to help make introductions at companies in the hopes I could find a job. They are really great in this small office, and I’ll miss working here. They told me they will miss me and that I’ve become part of the family. I’m lucky that out of all the temp assignments I could have gotten, I ended up here with people who care whether or not I’m leaving. It’s also made me feel employed for a short while, which is a great feeling too. Drinks to celebrate!