One step at a time, one idea at a time, one practice at a time, one lesson at a time, one meal at a time; the metrics of the beginning of a journey always start small. Let's start with conception, a tiny sperm and egg fertilise and the baby that's born is a small infant. An individual who wants to start a fitness journey, whether they want to increase or decrease weight, start with small measurable steps that they then increase. Even in school when learning a new module or topic, there's the introductory lesson and more content is revealed as the lessons progress. If this seems to be the pattern - small then grow - why do we despise small beginnings or try to overstep them as though we can just shoot to the final destination or desired result?
I will speak a lot about journeys because life, as cliché as it may sound, is one big long journey. As a Christian, your walk with Christ is a journey too, there are journey's everywhere around us and within different areas of our lives. I'll confess a journey that has been a big part of my life and the cause of much stress and anxiety (some may relate) is the career journey. I mean it starts from young, in school during those elementary stages you're asked 'what do you want to be when you grow up?'. I feel personal development would fare better if teachers asked 'who do you want to become as you grow up?' it seems to be treated as an afterthought. That single question is what checks us as people into the journey of careers and at different stages in school you start making decisions that will shape the trajectory of what you want to do. There are many tests, prospectuses and syllabuses, then comes the cap and gown before you're making your way into work everyday with a coffee at hand and positive attitude.
If only it was so simple.
I am one of those people who has always known what they wanted to do since a very young age, and have pursued that dream on what I thought would be a linear path. I want to work in the film industry, which I know makes many people say an internal 'good luck with that' because it's a competitive, one in a million, star shooting, dazzle me or die, industry to break into - but it didn't deter me and I still chose to stick with the dream. Postgrad (I'm class of COVID aka 2020) was one of the worst periods of my life, it was finally time to enter the big wide world as a working adult, and I had no idea how I was meant to get from my small no one knows where town, to the film industry that has this global stage. Suddenly, the passionate and ambitious little girl inside of me that had kept me going all these years felt scared, and the weight of what I wanted to pursue started to crush me and I thought for the first time in my life it couldn't happen for me, there was no way God would be able to do it.
I don't have a testimony to share of how I'm in my dream career, but I thank God in advance for when it is to be fulfilled. Rather I'm here working in unrelated industries, because I need money to survive, and though that may not cause any alarm in people as it's reasonably normal - I experienced a constant state of panic mixed with anxiety because of my current reality. Going back to the metrics of small then growth, I never assumed I would start as this big person and just work on all these projects and make money, I would say I am perfectly fine starting as a nobody with insignificant positions, I just want to be in the room, have my foot in the door you know? Well that's how I pictured the start of my career beginning, I felt as though I hadn't started developing my career because part time or forty hour weeks folding clothes and filling totes are so unrelated to what I want to do. That may be true, but I failed to realise that my journey had actually begun and the story of future me won't start from when I got my first film related job, but rather working the tills and serving customers.
I believed I didn't despise small beginnings because I was willing to be lowly in my desired industry, but God revealed I actually was despising small beginnings because I disliked my current situation. I had my ideal starting point and wanted to go there, and then become this humble and content individual who will work hard and have faith to grow in her career. But that isn't my starting point, it's probably not yours too, maybe you're struggling to find a job, you're at a different company than the one you desired, it's going to take longer for debt to be paid off, you've had an injury that prolongs your fitness journey. Whatever your starting point - where you are at right now reading this - not where you think you should be starting from, embrace it as part of your journey. You may hate me saying that, you may have chosen a different career path so you've already started working in your ideal career, but I'm sure there are things you still need to embrace as part of your journey. It's taken a long time for me to come to such a point of acceptance, and I reminded myself that there is more to my life and more to me than a career, there's a whole lot more God can do and teach about.
All this long winded post is to just say that on the journey there are stepping stones, identify them and take the step even if it is not what you want, thought or prayed for. God knows what He's doing - feel free to give Him personal reviews if you think otherwise - we don't see the whole picture but He does, and all the parts fit into the puzzle. It may be irrelevant or insignificant to you, but have an open heart to what God may want to do, teach or show in that decision. As believers we are called into all the world and into all industries - even the ones we don't care for - your presence is needed regardless, be that light for whatever time and trust God even with confusion, frustration, or peeking behind your eyes.
Take that step