Life Lately | Getting My Career ‘On’

Learning something new filled me with so much excitement!

There is no fear in me, not these days.

Of course, I still get nervous and anxious but I do not fear the unknown. Given my recent past, I see no real reason to be scared.

This past month I’ve been in training with my new job. I am working in a medical field and I bloody love it. It is ostomy related but despite the fact I actually have one, stomas and all medical things fill me with excitement; it sort of makes me wish I’d become a doctor. But, I might never have enjoyed as much as I would have done if I wasn’t an IBD patient.

After being off work for so long due to Crohn’s flare ups, surgery and then ostomy surgery & recovery, I knew I was going to be out of practice. And I am! I am feeling exhausted and it’s not a bad thing, its just a different thing. It’s the first time I am wearing smart clothes with my ostomy, first time I’m travelling to and from work with my ostomy, having to be aware of managing that whilst away from home; my comfort zone of the last 6 months. It’s lots of changes that are draining me of energy. But I take this a good sign! That it’s not from being scared, of regret and from pain.

I find my natural personality coming out, that slightly competitive edge I’ve always had and that thirst for knowledge. Not only for myself personally but just the believe that knowledge is power. I just find the advances, the technology, innovation and ability products have to change lives as just amazing. There is no other word to describe it: it is all just so amazing.

And with that amazement comes my own desire to progress. To make something of myself here. Because, where as in other roles and companies I’ve felt just like a person who does something for the business, I feel more than my job. Who I am is important. And when I feel important, I do more. I push myself. I get ambitious.

So when I read this blog post this morning I sat there and just went YES because this is how you get on in life. You find a passion, you find your network, you work hard and you achieve.

Identify your passion

Check – I never anticipated where my passion would lie. But now it’s here, I don’t know what I did before it…! Life works in mysterious ways.

Network, network, network!

Check – my passion led me to network and source my job.

Set yourself goals

I have some very specific goals and some that are just an idea; but I am open to opportunities, all of them.

Take risks

Without that ‘fear’, those butterflies in my stomach, risks come in the form of making the decisions to push myself, to not get too comfortable too early on.

Do it for you

This is so fundamental. Anything you do in life should be for yourself. You don’t need to please anyone else or expect anyone else to decide for you. Only you know your limits and strengths. Work with them.

And this is exactly what I did. I made a choice, a leap of faith in not only myself but my body, to take up a great opportunity. Not once since I accepted my job have I thought this is going to be too much or I just can’t do this, I won’t be able to do it because I just don’t feel that way.

I decided to go for it; wholeheartedly. I am – hopefully – not relying on my own personal experience and knowledge of ostomies to put me ‘top’ or ‘ahead’. I just want to succeed. And I’ve never felt like that. Take away the specific job I am doing, the company I am doing it for, you are still left with me; and who I actual am. I now want to succeed and show myself and others that having an chronic illness, having an ostomy, being female, being young is not a disadvantage. I will work hard to prove myself and to reduce whatever stigma or stereotyping there is. I am on a mission.