How far are you willing to go to make your destiny happen? Some people think destiny is what happens to you. I say you have to take your destiny into your own hands.
I read this story and you’ve probably heard it too. A 26-year-old man stood on a street median in Silicon Valley a week ago and instead of asking for handouts, he handed out his resume.
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The story is, David Casarez moved to Silicon Valley to try and get a job in the tech industry. After months of pounding the pavement, the high cost of living drove David from the place he was renting and forced him onto the streets. As a final bid to make his dreams come true, David decided to stand on the street and hand out his resume to anyone who drove by.
The happy ending to this story is David now has housing assistance and a number of job interviews lined up. While that’s amazing for David, it’s also inspiring. David took his destiny into his own hands and made something happen.
Which got me thinking…
How do you take your destiny into your own hands?
Be realistic. David is a trained coder. He wasn’t handing out resumes so he could get a job as a doctor; he was trying to get a job in his field. There’s nothing wrong with shooting for the stars, just make sure you’re shooting for the right ones. You’ll get better results that way.
Turn a deaf ear. When you try and achieve your dreams, there will be at least one person along the way who will say you’re not going to make it. Ignore him or her. The higher you aim, the more people are going to say you can’t make it. You have to be able to tune out that negativity to really succeed.
Don’t settle. Here’s the thing, it’s your dream because it’s what you want. Settling really just means you’re giving up on your dream. There may come a time when giving up is the only thing you can do, but before you even consider it, ask yourself one question, “Will I regret this later?” If the answer is, “yes”, reconsider.
It’s about you. Your destiny is yours and yours alone. No one can decide it for you and no one can give it to you. Nothing good ever came easy. You have to want something so badly that you won’t give up. You have to be willing to work.
David found a way to make himself stand out and in doing so he showed off what’s probably his best trait of all, his willingness to do almost anything to achieve his dream.
I am impressed by David and I love his story because it reaffirms my belief that hard work can pay off. That people can make their own destiny. I hope you find inspiration from this story as well.
Written by Erika Towne