AFTER A WHILE

"If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try." -Seth Godin

The quote mentioned above may either pertain to two things: first, that one time last week when my friend and I went to Quiapo for a shoot. Quiapo isn't exactly the safest place in Manila so taking out my camera felt like a huge risk. But it's usually the most photographed place as well, what with its busy market life. It's also where the truly religious people go to visit the Quiapo church. It basically teems with life of the common people and it's truly enjoyable for street photographers to be able to take photos of such a place.

Second, my current hunt for a good first job. After graduation, I felt like I needed to be more of an "adult" and try to do things on my own by immediately looking for work. When a month had passed and I found myself still staying at home, I wanted to scream. I realized that this is the reality of unemployment and I feel like I haven't even experienced the worst of it yet. But I continued to apply and, fortunately, a few companies have responded.

It's been about two months since I graduated from college, two months that I've been sending out applications and going to interviews. It's true; job hunting is hard, but to be honest, I no longer feel pressured like I used to about a month ago.

I found that it's hard to convince ourselves of a certain thought unless someone says it to us, that doing something that we're not familiar with is the one thing that we actually need to accomplish. During my perpetual anticipation of my potential first job, I gathered up a lot of thoughts about what I wanted to do and I realized that it's okay to put myself out there.

It's okay to try something new, to meet new people, to be in a new environment. While I initially learned this while being in college, it feels like I'm experiencing this for the first time again. A part of me wants to stay as I am, to do things according to my strengths, while the other part of me wants to step out of my comfort zone. It's quite daunting (for an introvert like me) but I want to welcome it.

Also, I've been told several times that it's alright for me to take a break, to take advantage of my "free time" since that concept will soon be gone in my life. I've been told that it's going to be okay. Period. And I believe that now.

...

I think the quote is about the first point. Definitely.