Prerequisites for Success
Back during the cold, long days of last winter, I was on a mission to acquire an internship for this semester (that is winding down, ever so quickly!) I stumbled across Skai Blue Media, a PR firm in Midtown Village, and started doing some research on the company. Before I was even interviewed for the position, I got the impression that Skai Blue Media’s successful reputation came as a result of their passion for their work. In an industry that I’ve learned demands enthusiasm, it got me thinking… what other factors contribute to the success of a company?
As a soon-to-be senior, I am currently going through the struggle of deciding what to do post-graduation, and I’m sure many of you are familiar with the daunting feeling. Much of that struggle stems from my ideology of:
“How do you know what you want to do for the rest of their life, unless you have actually done it?”
As a highly motivated and determined student, I am hopeful that one day I will successfully land that dream job that I still cannot quite define.
But in the meantime, what does it take to get there? What are the prerequisites for success?
Having interned at Skai Blue Media for the past 4 months, I have gained a plethora of knowledge about the PR industry, and experienced what working with clients is truly like. I greatly benefited from my internship as a part of a dedicated, passionate, and successful team.
But as an intern, finding my role in the company was a big part of the experience. Although I did contribute to the success of Skai Blue Media in small ways, not all my actions were always perfect. It’s a constant learning experience, that not even school can prepare you for. However, as a versatile and quick learner, I exerted a lot of effort into all of my work and was recognized accordingly. But on the other hand, the internship was for my benefit and nobody was paying me for my lack of expertise. Yeah sure, I learned a lot, but now what?
In this light, it makes it difficult to chalk this up as a “success.” But being able to work with a team who loves what they do helped me put it into perspective. If you love what you do, and are passionate about making a difference, you will eventually reap the success of your dedication. It just takes time to get to where you want to be and sometimes you just have to “pay your dues.”
Looking forward slightly to this upcoming summer, I recently applied for another internship that I was really excited about, and I thought it was exactly what I was looking for. After a promising interview, a week later I got the bad news. Unfortunately for me, they chose another candidate that “had more experience” than I did. I chalked this one up in my book as a failure.
On the plus side thankfully, I do understand how to look at a “failure” as learning experience. I read this quote once on a blog and it really spoke to me and put some perspective on the idea of failure:
“When you are driving towards a new destination, a place that you have not yet been, sometimes you may get lost, take a wrong turn, and come to a dead end. When this happens to you, simply turn the car around and continue driving.” –Author unknown
Failures can be a positive thing. Wrong turns can lead you to a shortcut and those who have experienced success will attest to the true role of failures on their journey to success. By looking at success in this light, failure becomes one of the prerequisites for success!
Ultimately and ideally, one should find work where they can effectively feed their passion. If you love what you do, then you will feel good while you are doing it and ensure inevitable success. If you happen to fail along the way, nothing beats perseverance! Passion and failure in conjunction will result in eventual achievement.
Reflecting upon my role as an intern at Skai Blue Media this semester has led me to uncover some personal, insightful discoveries regarding my future. And I’m sure there are many other factors that contribute to success, and perspective is important. But for me, at this point in my life on the search for a successful career, I am discovering that it all boils down to this:
Your potential is unlimited if you remain passionate, and overcome failures positively.
