Down, but Not Defeated

Yesterday I finally learned my fate of applying to the AUSL teaching program. Unfortunately, I did not get accepted.

Although I exhausted so much time and effort during my pursuit of this program, I do not regret a single second of it. In fact, I'd only harbor regrets if I never tried.

Because I believe that everything happens for a reason, I'm trying to focus on the positive aspects of my rejection. And I hope and pray that a better opportunity will cross my path instead. I'm very accepting of the fact that the AUSL program just wasn't meant to be, and I'm confident that I'll find happiness in different work in the future.

I still maintain that this has been one of the most rewarding and inspiring years of my life! And I'm beyond thankful to have become a mentor with Friends First. My mentee and I have grown quite close the past few months, and I'm so proud to cheer her on as she pursues her own goals. I became a mentor to gain more experience with children, and I'm not certain I would have applied to be a mentor had I not pursued the AUSL program. And that would have been a shame, because being a mentor is one of the best things I have ever done in my life.

Additionally, after all I was willing to sacrifice to get accepted into this program, perhaps now I won't have to consider sacrificing so much when pursuing future endeavors, including what is most important to me - time with family and friends.

I still believe in sweating the small stuff despite the cliche instructing me not to, and I'm learning that maybe it's the big stuff that we shouldn't sweat after all. If we refuse to dwell on the negative outcomes of our goals and choose to perceive them as positive experiences instead, then perhaps our potential to achieve is limitless.