I already wrote a post about being grateful that life wasn’t working out the way I thought it would, and I didn’t plan to write a follow-up, but I was inspired so here we are!
Today I got a rejection email from a job I really thought I was going to get. I had a feeling I didn’t get it when I didn’t hear anything on Friday (the day they said they’d make their decision), but I still had a little bit of hope.
Getting that email made me feel mixed emotions. I was disappointed and a bit caught off guard, but I think deep down I somehow knew it wasn’t the right fit for me right now.
I journaled and then did a tarot reading for myself, and the main message I received was that a lot of new beginnings are still on the horizon for me. This rejection was just part of a bigger plan for my present and my future.
I came to a lot of big realizations when journaling, and this is what I wrote that inspired me to make this post:
Talk about the end of unemployment but not the end of your joy and passion. Talk about disappointments but also your determination. Talk about setbacks but also your successes. You’re so much more well-rounded now, not wounded.
Because of my journey and all the setbacks and pitfalls, I now know what I want and need and what it’ll take to get there. I want to write and edit while working on a great team with a strong culture.
I was receiving unemployment benefits from my previous job, and I was approved for a certain number of weeks. I was so sure I would only be unemployed for a few weeks, but that has proven to not be the case. Now that time is up, and I’m still looking for my next full-time job.
As I was getting to the end of receiving those benefits, I started to feel like a big failure. Like, what is wrong with me that I haven’t found a new job after about four months?! My ego was going crazy, so I was going crazy.
But having more free time has proven to be really beneficial for both me and my husband. We’ve gotten much more settled in our house, and this extra time has helped us deal with different stressors in our lives. I really believe that we both needed me to have this time away from work right now.
A lot of things in my life definitely haven’t gone the way I had planned, especially not this year, but I’m learning how to be grateful for that. I’ve had a lot of time to do different things like read, go to the library and Barnes & Noble and do some journaling.
I haven’t lost my passion for what makes me happy in life, even when things have been really tough. It’s really important to remember to fill your own cup so you don’t get even burned out from life.
I’ve been disappointed by not finding a new job yet, but I’ve tried my best to stay determined and focus on how to find the right fit for me regardless of a certain timeline. I’ve learned from previous jobs that a good culture fit is more important to me than anything else.
And sure, I’ve experienced my share of setbacks, but I’ve also succeeded in ways I hadn’t planned. I’ve read 76 books so far this year; I’ve renewed my passion for blogging and journaling; my husband and I have both learned a lot about funerals, taxes and mortgages; I’ve gotten over my dread of job interviews; and I’ve learned a lot about myself through it all.
I used to view myself as pitiful, a loser who was let go from two jobs in a row, someone who didn’t know what they wanted out of life and was just stuck. I felt like that for a long time, actually, but I’m starting to finally pull myself out of that slump.
If I hadn’t been let go for a second time, if my husband’s aunt hadn’t passed away and left us her house, if I hadn’t used up my unemployment benefits, if, if, if… My life would be even more different than it is now. I’m grateful for everything that’s led me to this moment because it’s helped shape who I am. And I really, truly love the person I am today.
You can’t plan for your whole future. You just can’t. You have to learn how to roll with the punches that life throws at you. You may not like everything that happens, and obviously some things can happen that are really unfair and horrible, but it’s important to learn how to be more flexible with how your life plays out.
Be grateful for both the things that have and haven’t worked out for you. There can be lessons in almost any situation if you’re open to seeing them. It may not be easy to see them sometimes, but they’re always there.
Let go of the sense of control you feel over the events in your life. Celebrate when you can, enjoy what you can, be grateful and then let go. Peace will soon follow.
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
