Chris's parents were proud of him when he graduated from college. But after six months, he still hadn't gotten a job. In fact, he hadn't looked seriously. He had no idea what he wanted to do and was thinking of grad school.
He was living at home with his parents and things were getting tense, especially with his father, who accused him of being lazy and afraid to enter the real world.
Chris thought his dad was being unreasonable. After all, you're only young once and he needed some space. During a recent argument, Chris said, "I'm not you, Dad. I have my own way of doing things. I want a job I enjoy."
His dad replied, "That's a nice idea, but in the end they call it 'work' because it's about making a productive living—not about having fun."
There are many youngsters like Chris who are having trouble getting started with a serious job and becoming self-reliant.
Some, like Peter Pan, just don't want to grow up.
Some are afraid of making a wrong decision or of being rejected.
Others are victims of what psychologists call "magical thinking." They believe when the time is right, everything will fall into place. So they wait for opportunity to come knocking or until they feel inspired or excited about their next step.
Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. What's crucial is to begin. Things happen and opportunities appear most often when we're moving, not when we're standing still.
Momentum is vital. Basic physics contends that it's easier to alter the course of a moving object than to start movement initially. In the end, it's not really about finding yourself. It's about making yourself.
The first steps are the hardest, but the key to success in anything is getting started.
-character counts
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