Oh, the audacity

Prepineer Digest 012

Oh, the audacity

We go 4 (ahem 5…) years limping through engineering while in college, yet, now in the real world, we expect the process of becoming a professional engineer should just be a formality.

Question is, is this a proper way of approaching this whole process?

Let’s get in to it.

Let’s get uncomfortable for a moment.

You need to follow through.

One of the most meta characteristics that will determine whether you are successful or not on the FE Exam (heck, in life) is your ability to follow through in the midst of all the chaos.

I will tell you, it’s no accident that those you most admire and look up to are where they are today.

It’s not that they got lucky or that you got dealt a bad hand, though that may be part of the overarching story – it’s that they were able to maintain focus on those things they could control when presented with challenges.

Life will play out as it will, and much of the time, in the most inconvenient ways.

But what does “inconvenient” even mean?

We were never promised an easy life, yet many of us have the audacity to sell ourselves a narrative that we are entitled to just that.

And it’s absolutely destroying us both personally and professionally.

When we hit obstacles in life, instead of seeing the hidden opportunities, we choose to focus on the affects and how they are “holding us down”.

Instead of seeking out shelter in the midst of a thunderstorm, we choose to stand there and look at the water dumping down on us.

Here is one thing I know for certain – you were put here to do great things, period.

But great things don’t come about outside the context of challenge, that is all just part of the process.

A diamond doesn’t become a diamond without undergoing immense pressure.

Gold isn’t naturally pure without refining at extremely high temperatures.

April showers bring May flowers right?

Some of the most beautiful things we see in nature come on the tail end of darker times, so why would that be any different for us as we are on the path to becoming a professional engineer?

Instead of parking your focus on those things you can’t control, choose to see the bigger process in play and do your part in seeing it through.

Every day, commit to doing just one thing that you know will help you grow in your life personally.

Commit to doing one thing that will give you more personal freedom.

Commit to doing one thing that will bring you better health.

Commit to doing one thing that will help you lie down for bed at night with a sense of calm knowing that you showed up and put in the work needed for that thing to resonate positively in to your life overall.

No matter what happens during the day, follow through for yourself.

Follow through for others.

Relentlessly.

Follow through.

On the big things.

On the small things.

Develop a habit of always fulfilling your commitment to showing up and following through on those things that matter the most for you.

And when it comes to the FE Exam, you got this, we are here to help.

As always, with love, Prepineer