I saw myself in what Christina wrote, as I was once in her shoes, with a B.Sc. in Psychology and a dream I wanted to implement. After graduation from my university programs, I sent out emails just like Christina’s to connect with people and organizations. Since we could all use a vote of confidence in our lives, I invited Christina to share her Record Worthy Practice with all of us.

Thinking about the waves in life, I decided to go sit outside and start writing and let the words flow out. What flowed onto the words of my journal was a powerful collective narrative inspired by the stories and experiences of recent graduates. This post is different than my usual ones, but I felt called to share it as some of you reading might feel comfort in the story’s message. I also think it will start a beautiful dialogue about how we can help each other find our way.

What do you think of when you hear the words, “I don’t know”?

For many years, that saying made me uncomfortable. I was stuck on seeing the term “I don’t know” as a negative thing (as if I didn’t have all the answers) or a stumbling block.

Over time, instead of seeing the words “I don’t know” as a stopping point, I learned to cherish them as a starting place for my personal and professional growth.

Ever been on a canoe trip? Did you just start paddling, going with the flow and discovering new places along the way? Or, did you map out the whole journey ahead of time, then followed it?

Growing up near rivers and lakes in Ontario, I was always in or on the water. Family canoe trips were endlessly exciting. The plan was never specific about where to stop.  We’d just say, “Let’s go for a paddle.” And we did.

This quote has been my mantra as I’ve been navigating the journey of my twenties.  I threw off my bowlines, sailed away from the harbour, caught the tradewinds, but got stuck.   I stopped my journey for awhile, as I was unsure of the direction to sail my ship. The wind (i.e., the passion) was there; I was just unsure in which direction to steer.  Do I choose mainstream (i.e., the common path) or set my own course? 

During my pitstop, I reflected on my life journey thus far and where I could go from there.  I wanted to manifest my calling of empowering others to persist despite any setbacks they encountered.  As I was stuck momentarily, I decided to use my personal journey as a tool to start discussion and implement change.  Therefore, I developed my blog as a way to coach others to navigate their personal journeys. I went against the wind and began creating empowering media; I was turning my dream of helping others thrive into a reality.

This story is becoming far too prevalent in my generation not to share. The common reality of new graduates in this struggling economy is that many thousands of these individuals will be without work in their chosen field.  I wish this wasn’t the case.

However, this situation isn’t isolated to only Canada; it is happening in countries across the world.  My generation, “Generation Y,” is now being called, “Generation Jobless.” Even the name makes us feel powerless and at a position of inferiority to others.

Many young adults feel that they are overeducated and unemployed.  This belief comes as a result of applying for jobs after they graduate.  They are not hired because they are inexperienced for the jobs they would like to pursue but overqualified for the jobs they will get.

I had this powerful dream the other night which I have to share with you.

It relates to a situation I have been going through over the past year.  I find that if you have been thinking about something a lot, your mind has a way of incorporating those thoughts into your dreams.