In that extremely incredible and proud moment when the 2019 Webb Ellis Rugby World Cup was boosted high into the air after the SA Rugby team bagged a well-deserved win, it felt like the entire country’s spirit and morale simultaneously lifted to the heavens. It was a glorious moment indeed. Being awarded that trophy is symbolic of a dream each and every one of those Springbok rugby players had and was one of the driving forces which motivated them with each game, each practice, each injury sustained, each fitness test, each loss and each time spent away from loved ones. It starts with a dream but to attain those soaring heights of their sporting career and any other job doesn’t come easy. It means putting in the hard sweat and tears and fighting for that dream.
Even if you’re not a rugby enthusiast like my dad whose so proud you’d swear those rugby boys were his own kin, you must have been touched even a tiny bit by the inspiring display of a team and a country united. I say today when you’re contemplating applying for that dream job, you click and you click with the belief, that that “cup” aka “job” is yours for the taking.
Believe hard – Every dream job starts in your head and it takes a positive mindset to ensure you get it. When you are faced with the opportunity, don’t talk yourself out of it. You must hold onto the belief that you have a good chance and as the old age saying goes, you will never know until you try.
Act now rather than later – Sometimes you scroll through enticing job ads and when reading the specs, you tell yourself, you can so do this, you are qualified. But then instead of applying, you decide to leave it till later and before you know it, procrastination leads to a complete miss. Hit that button and send your CV right then and there. The sooner your application is received, the stronger your chances of making the shortlist or even getting the job.
Continue to shine bright like a diamond until otherwise – Just because you are not where you envision yourself being for the next five years, it doesn’t mean that you should slack in your current job. Think of it like this – if you want to show your next potential boss that you’re the best candidate for that position – you can ensure they’re impressed by being the best person in your job right now.
Hold on tight to whatever inspires you, so you don’t quit – Aside from believing in your capabilities, this is often the hardest to do because life is hard. We endure tedious, slow commutes to work, some dogged by public transport delays and system inefficiencies. We often have no choice but to put in overtime to try and meet deadlines or just to catch up on large workloads. Then we still have to juggle family life with spiking petrol and food costs increasing our cost of living. When a young teen by the name of Cheslin Kolbe, the Springbok who hails all the way from my hometown of Kraaifontein, was kicking a rugby ball on a local field, despite any trials and tribulations he may have faced, he did whatever it took to get into the national team and one day win that World Cup. On Saturday, all that inspired him and the rest of the team, came to fruition. So, let’s seize some of that “inspo” and push ourselves closer to our own dreams. If you know you can lead a team and effectively influence a group of people, then apply for that Team Lead position. Or your kid needs their own room and you want a better job to afford them their own space, then start your job search right now.
Hold onto whatever motivates you, believe you can achieve it and apply till you’re blue in the face. Dreams don’t happen overnight; you have to fight to see them realised. And if seeing the Bokke’s dreams come true on Saturday was anything to go by, then be assured the wait will be well worth it.