Before now, life had been turbulent for me, and that was because I got really scared of taking risks and seizing the moment. I'd always feel that there were better days ahead, so if one opportunity passes by, another one will come. Such mentality quickly reminded me of an adage in my locality, which when translated to English, stated that, "There are no birds in the bushes, for the bird in one's possession is the only one whose availability is certain."
Taking a trip down memory lane, I soon realised that If I had seized the moment when certain job opportunities presented themselves in the past, I bet that my life would have been better than what it is now because then I would have had an early start. Although it's still possible that my current state is where my life was meant to navigate, probably that's why I wasn't bold enough to seize the job opportunities when they were made available.
Again, it should be worth noting that having a direction in life makes it easier to seize the moment and make the best use of opportunities to avoid regrets. For me, I had no direction and no laid down goals in the past. I was just going with the flow, and life felt empty plus regrettable. When I eventually hit rock bottom, I spent my time in solitude, counselling myself. It was then I realized that I needed to be more intentional with life to enjoy it and also I need to do things differently for my life's pattern to change.
Having come to this awareness, I wrote down my goals, and I became intentional with them. With my written goals, the vision became clear. I realized that I needed to build a career and develop a solid portfolio if I wanted to have a voice and make something meaningful out of my life. If I wanted to be up there, I knew that I needed to fix myself somewhere, so I applied for a job vacancy.
At the time, the company had just set up a new branch in another region, and they needed one of their employees to relocate there to manage it. The employee, who is a lady, bluntly refused the offer of relocation, citing that the location was more or less like a ghost town and had no nightlife. All offers made to this lady to get her to relocate were rejected, and the management was almost getting frustrated. It was at that point, that I came in, and upon the interview, I was asked if I would want to relocate because that was the only opening available. I had no hesitation in accepting the offer because I was already tired of my current state at the time and I needed the relocation, which was in my home state where I had family. I had felt alone in another city and had missed the warmth of my family. Plus, I needed to succeed, and that was the best option I had, so I grabbed it.
If it was before, when procrastination was dealing with me, I would have stalled and probably missed out on the opportunity. I realised the importance of grabbing the opportunity after I took the job offer and relocated. I went on to see that it was one of the best life decisions I've ever made. Currently, I no longer feel overwhelmed, and I feel more at peace with life. Unfortunately for the lady who refused to relocate, she got sacked, and her job roles were spread among my colleagues and me. I did wish that I was close to her to advise her at the time of taking the relocation offer. But if she had taken it, would I have gotten the job?
I'd say, the last 5years have been nothing short but challenging. In all, I am proud I decided to live life more intentionally because that decision has moulded me to be a better version of myself. Not only that but it has also placed me at a point where I can use my story as a source of motivation to others. It's safe to call me a motivational speaker lol.