Rome wasn’t built in a day. I repeat this little phrase to myself pretty much weekly. My personality type ensures that I want to be the best and brightest version of myself, not tomorrow and not today, but yesterday. I want to grow closer to God; I want to establish a flourishing career; I want to write that book; I want to get in better shape; I want to improve my health; and I want it all NOW.
Alas, I am only human, and these things take time. I find this cycle continually repeats itself: desire, strive, fail to achieve a life goal in one week, remind myself to take it one day at a time, repeat.
Most recently, I’ve gone through this cycle with my career. I just graduated college, and after three months of browsing LinkedIn amidst a waxing and waning motivation, I sat in my childhood best friend’s pool and told her about the woes of job hunting.
She helped me brainstorm, telling me about a magazine called Brides of North Texas. After getting out of the pool, we flipped through her copy, oohing, ahhing, and giving our opinions on the various weddings displayed throughout.
I got home that night, went to their website, and looked at available positions. The only one that fit my skills and interests? An unpaid internship.
Hmm.
Am I — a college graduate with a Bachelor’s degree — really going to apply for an unpaid internship?
Yes. Absolutely. No hesitation. And guess what? I got the internship!
Despite the lack of compensation, I had many reasons to move forward with this opportunity:
- It’s in my field of interest! Instead of settling for a job I’m not excited for nor passionate about, this opportunity lets me pursue what I like, what I’m good at, and what I ultimately hope to do when it comes to my career. (I’ll mainly be working as a writer who updates old blogs, writes new ones, and brainstorms blog topics.)
- I will be using the writing and editing skills I’ve worked to hone for the past four years.
- I get to write content that genuinely interests me.
- I’ll (hopefully) get my foot in the door, get to network with other ladies in the company, and continue growing my skills.
- The internship is remote, which gives me more time to exercise, sleep, and eat in the mornings. Plus it saves me some gas money!
- An added bonus is that the internship is asking for only 12 hours of my week. On the days I’m not working from my computer, I’ll be working from (you guessed it) Starbucks!
I will admit that at first, I despised having to tell others the internship was unpaid. I thought they would scoff at me with haughty eyes, questioning why I would ever accept a position that won’t pay me. But, to my surprise, most people were supportive and encouraging, agreeing that a foot in the door is sometimes more valuable than getting paid right off the bat.
Through this post-graduate time of searching for jobs, looking for the next step, and questioning where my life is headed, I’ve taken much comfort in Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21:
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
In the thick of trying to figure out what my next step was going to be, I found confidence in the truth that God goes before me, behind me, and beside me. He will establish my steps; His purpose will stand; and I trust that He will guide me.
I do not have to plan out my whole life! God will walk me through it step by step. I trust where He’s leading, even if it’s not quite what I had hoped or expected. His timing and plans are truly the best.
Maybe that all sounds cheesy, but it deeply resonates with the chapter of life I find myself in. So here’s to this small start! I’m very excited for all that is to come.
As always, thank you for reading.
Pursuing Peace 