Never underestimate the power of a little push
Posted by Cassandra | Filed under Career, Education, Family, Friendship
I know I’m where I am today thanks to my own drive, hard work and persistence.
But I’ve also come to appreciate the people in my life at various points in time who have given me the extra push I needed to get through a rough patch.
It’s taken me a while to recognize who they are and exactly what they’ve done for me, but now, when one of those people appears, I know instantly. Now, the experience is much more rewarding because I feel I can appreciate what they’re offering me.
My parents raised me to believe that a person’s success was determined by how self-sufficient they were.
This was probably because, at times, they weren’t very self-sufficient and they had to take jobs, borrow money and accept second-hand items (including cars) from well-off family just to get by. They worked hard and did their best, but it wasn’t until much later in their lives that they were able to achieve some measure of self-sufficiency.
But I’ve been accepting help from well-meaning friends, family members and strangers for almost five years now, since my mom died. Whether it was simply their company and inspirational words, or their expertise in a certain area, or even gifts or money.
It has been tough to realize people actually care about me enough to offer me these things without expecting anything in return, except my company and, for those who have contributed to my education, my continued hard work.
It’s also been difficult to realize I may actually be the type of person who deserves these tokens of appreciation and support. My drive, hard work and persistence has probably helped these people decide I deserve whatever they’re offering, but I’ve always been too modest to think or say that.
Recently I noticed that I’m now able to accept these things as they come. Instead of feeling guilty and holding myself back by being reluctant to accept them, or by not accepting them at all, I know I’ve proven my worth and the person really believes in me.
I survived the loss of my mom with the support of family and friends.
I stayed in the journalism program at Ryerson thanks to the faith my first-year reporting instructor had (and continues to have via email) in me.
I focused on school and extra-cirricular activites at a critical time in my career thanks to the financial and moral support of my dad.
I’m going to the National Post for my internship instead of a small community paper because my third-year copy editing instructor took the extra time to tell me she thinks I’m a strong enough journalist to pull it off — almost a year after I was last in her class.
And today my aunt took me shopping for some professional-looking clothing so I can feel confident and comfortable when I finally start my internship in March.
I didn’t ask for any of this, but I needed it and it’s truly helped me to become who I am and get where I am in my life.
I’m not a success yet, but I think I’ll get there one day if I accept help from enough kind-hearted individuals. I hope I can offer the same help to others along the way, but perhaps a person’s success is measured by how much they help others realize their dreams.
Tags: support
I'm a writer and editor just starting my career at 
February 3rd, 2009 at 3:42 am
It just goes to show you that even when you think people aren’t paying attention, they surprise you with kind gestures.