Although in reality, many people do not run marathons, this comparison kind of works well here because many people get discouraged midway their work life and start to question themselves on whether they have made a suitable career choice.
So compare your work life to a marathon and not a sprint because
It too starts with a training
A training which you stick to for months and even years and undergo some growth and pain and may even want to quit along the way but do not. And eventually as expected you begin to look for work and may find something based on the years of schooling gone through.
For some this process may be short for others it may take a very long time as some training is focused on one career path while others are a combination of courses that equip you with a broad cache of knowledge and a small pool of opportunities. So you have to pace yourself and prepare for a long trek to employment (self or otherwise).
The small things will add up
Graduating and getting a job is a real achievement and people will praise you for it but once you start your work life you will begin to realise that it is only the beginning. That starting this new life is just a small step towards getting better at what you do. And getting paid more for what you do.
You will see that there are many more small steps to take. Be it, getting another qualification, learning another language or learning a new skill. Eventually when you reach and pass a mile stone in your life, you will realise that it is nothing more than that: yet another small step. One that gets you a just that bit closer towards making your dream come true.
You will persevere
When you are in charge of your own career path you will try very much to stick to your chosen path. And however the weather may be outside and whether you will feel motivated to go for another day to work or not; you will go. This is because your life depends on it now. And maybe a spouse and a child depend on you.
Persevering and doing something although you don’t really feel like doing it, might be the most crucial thing you will learn in creating a good work life habit. So, even when your brain might tell you that you don’t want to. You will have the self-discipline to do things, you know are the only right thing to do.
You may not be able to control the weather or your mood, but you can always control your actions.
Things will get rough sometimes
Our lives are full of twists and turns and sometimes the turns can be really bad. And unexpected. You might feel pain and you will want to stop. You might question why you do all this. And you might feel like it makes no sense whatsoever. You don’t see clearly anymore and you lose your focus. This can happen anytime along the way and you might want to stop and quit. But, you will not!
There will always be someone to cheer you on
Although nobody can live your life for you, there are a lot of people who love what you do and want to show their support. It can be a random person liking your posts, a relative showing off your achievement on social media or your boss giving you a raise.
There are a lot of little things around you all the time that make the journey more enjoyable. You just have to keep an eye out for them.
The finish line is not the final destination
You will understand that it is never over. Yes, you finish the course, the assignment or have gotten another ‘big’ order but this is not the final destination. There is more road ahead and it’s a journey where you learn that it is the little decisions and the little choices that you make each day that will shape things for you.
It’s the everyday decisions that will in the end define who you are and where you end up. And it is up to you to make the right choices and to keep pushing and getting more and more knowledge, skills and contacts.
