Dear Wee Rachel,
What are you doing with your life?
It’s a dreaded question for anyone, whether you’re a handsomely paid director of a big ass organisation or a former child star with a fading profile and a catchphrase to your name (you’re neither by the way!).
Generally speaking, no one is 100% happy with every aspect of their lives, even the lucky sods who seemingly have everything in their lives figured out – news flash, they don’t!
Some people have a better answer to that question than others, “I’m a director of a big organisation” probably sounds better than “I’m unemployed and focusing on my sitcom reruns” but the good answers probably don’t include the crappy things that keep them awake at night, the pressures of their job or the lack of time they have to do things away from their high stress careers.
If you are sitting thinking that your life is a bit crap and you don’t have a scooby how you are going to change it, welcome to the boat, absolutely everyone on this planet we call earth is already on it!
Ok, so you might not be in need of a telethon or a therapist, but you’ve come to the realisation that sometimes, life is a bit crap because it just is. That’s a lesson some people go through life and never learn, you are already years ahead in discovery than some who came before you, it might not be Nobel Prize worthy but in my eyes it’s blooming impressive!
I can be a bit fortune cookie at times for a spatially challenged 26 year old who walks into the same doorpost on a daily and often hourly basis but I like to think I have a good grasp of these things. Someone somewhere coined the phrase ‘an old head on young shoulders’ to describe it when a young person has a knack for saying something profound – you’ll hear it a lot, not necessarily to describe you, but occasionally. It’s a fancy way of saying that you have grasped early on in life an understanding of something that some adults have yet to master – the collective term for such adults is often referred to as Morons – fear them!
I used to be embarrassed to answer that question with the truth – I’m unemployed and desperately hoping someone will give me a chance to prove myself. I’d go for something that made me sound like a semi proactive human being such as ‘I’ve just finished uni and I’m volunteering until I find a job in my field’ because it sounded better than – ‘I spend my time filling out application forms, making origami and watching charmed reruns whilst simultaneously crying on the inside and eating Wotsits’ (other cheesy corn puff snacks are available, although maybe not for you – apparently milk makes you ill – spoiler!).
Since becoming unemployed for the second time in two years I’ve learned to be less concerned about that pitying or judgmental look I might get and go with honesty. My answer to the dreaded question is now “I was on a fixed term contract as an intern, I’m now unemployed as I’ve yet to successfully pass another interview, but fingers crossed eh?” if I’m speaking to a sensible person, they’ll know that’s my polite way of saying bog off and stop asking me, my answer is the same as it was two days ago when you last asked me. If I’m speaking to one of the aforementioned Morons, who treats me as if unemployment is a lifestyle choice, I calmly remind myself that my situation is hopefully temporary, whereas being an asshat is generally infinite.
I’m telling you this because while you don’t have to be content with unfortunate circumstances, you sure as hell don’t have to be ashamed of them either! No one’s life is perfect, your flaws, shortcomings and struggles are part of what makes you who you are – human!
For me the secret to overcoming the crappy things in my life is to own them, they are mine! I’m not unemployed because the world hates me and lets bad things happen to me. I’m unemployed because there are many other jobseekers like me and I have limited experience. I’m not skinny because I like to eat lots of food, and I’m not Beyoncé because I’m me and frankly if I were Beyoncé, Beyoncé wouldn’t be Beyoncé and that just wouldn’t be fair on the world. Oh yeah, you develop an unhealthy obsession with Beyoncé, just accept it.
Regardless of what you are doing with your life or how you feel about your life, it’s yourlife, own it, change it, live it, don’t wait around for it to get better or begin, carpe doughnut! Seize it!
P.S - I’m sorry you’re not an actress or a giraffe, but you did find a career path that you’re good at, sometimes it’s a great outlet for being a smartarse, you don’t have to hide that by the way, just try not to annoy anyone!
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