A Journey of Resilience

Too often, the image of a dream job painted in glossy advertisements and promotional materials seems like an unattainable fantasy—completely polished, effortlessly glamorous (pun most definitely intended), and perpetually exciting. And that it promises a perfect combination of creativity, satisfaction and glamour. I was so thrilled when I got the letter of my dream job offer and you can say that just turned in to a sea-sawing experience, wouldn't itnc. It was a large well-known company in the field I wanted to work in and I will admit, you could say that I was pre-tty excited.

The well-wishing comments from my friends and family were so enthusiastic. We all thought of the benefits and recognition that came with such a position. Once I was in place, though, the fiction of this dream job proved slightly more complicated and demanding than its marketing suggested.

What first seemed like euphoria from snagging the job evolved into a crushing weight of expectation. I was working longer hours than I ever would have guessed, regularly staying into the depths of night to hit some impossible deadline or other. The thrill of working on high impact projects was unfortunately balanced by the frenzy and always needing to prove myself, over and over again. A once exciting opportunity now felt like a perpetual wheel of stress and fatigue.

Surprisingly, the emotional aspect became one of my biggest struggles. I dreamed of a gig where creativity was just part of the work and ideas were actually encouraged. Instead, I encountered a work culture that placed results over the health of all individuals. There was an immense pressure to perform; I felt as though walking a tightrope trying to balance high expectations and my personal feeling of self-worth.

Another thing I did not totally prepare for was the minefield of office politics. The glossy brochures made no allusions to rivalry or power struggles. However, before I knew it I got myself embroiled in office politics. This was the first time in my career when office politics were a regular part of every day, and I often struggled to know who would have me back; how could I help myself without stepping on people´s toes?

I also often struggled with imposter syndrome, and I am a professional in the field. I had days where I questioned my credibility and whether or not they were soon going to discover that I was a fraud in this role. This self questioning was further aggravated by the pressures of working in a highly competitive realm that put us under intense scrutiny.

The next biggest obstacle was keeping a balance between work and personal life. I was speaking about work more and the lines between work and personal time started to become blurred way too often. The demands of that job were relentless, and for me it became impossible to turn off the work portion which ultimately resulted in burnout as well as feeling disconnected from my personal life and joys.

This notwithstanding, the journey was not short of micro wins. I started looking at each problem as a chance to expand. Setting those boundaries became an important skill I needed to learn. I began creating balance in my life by making myself care more about what I wanted, finding ways to unwind aside from work and reconnecting with activities that lit me up. It really showed me the power of being resilient and adaptive. Instead of only looking at it as a place where I could prove to myself and the world that my work was good enough, I started seeing doing this job as an opportunity for growth.

I also learnt the true definition of success, what it means and looks like. Rather than just trying to get social-status higher, or to meet the standards of others; this is about getting needs met and keeping things in balance. Although very difficult, the job taught me a lot about resilience and self-reflection. In many ways, it pushed me to my limits and made me question all the things I truly valued in a career (and personal) standpoint.

Looking back over my experience I realise that the road to fulfilling your dreams is filled with twists and turns. There are barriers one faces that push you to your limit and ability to change, There is no such thing as the perfect dream job. As I have said in many ways over the years, this is our real worth: how we suffer and what learn from that suffering.

For those in a similar position, staring the gap between their ideal and on the job reality with your dream gig — take solace that often times it is all apart of what makes us journey. Take on these obstacles, figure them out and keep moving forward. On some occasion, this new dream job is not about the work you do but about how it makes you grow as an individual by simply being resilient.

Although my dream job did not unfold as I had envisioned, it was a remarkable chapter in my narrative, one that redefined success and taught me to savor the ride. It served as a vivid reminder that obstacles are never to be feared, the art is wintering and times of darkness come when what we need comes our way — it reminded me every challenge was an opportunity for growth, reminding me over again resilience sits right smack in the center on those fragile shoulders dividing doubt from faith.