An Intern's Recipe for Happiness

Hey folks!

Hopefully this upcoming term I'll have time to write more regularly. Yesterday I ended my internship with Cosmos Sports. It was a great run, and I'm terrified of how much I'm gonna miss it, since the fact that it's over hasn't really sunk in yet. But, I've learned that it's important to live in the present.

Yes, you should always have goals for the future and work towards them. But enjoy the good moments with what you have now. For example, I'm excited to have a car in the near future because I loathe standing in freezing cold bus stops and depending on others' for my punctuality. But hey, at least I don't need to worry about gas, insurance, or parking! AND I get to knit during my commute to work. With regard to the past, I think it's okay to think about good memories... especially when using them as a reference in discovering what things make you happy when planning your life. But when you're constantly dwelling on it to the point where you forbid yourself to be happy unless you have a time machine that'll take you to the past, you're not being fair to yourself. Accepting change is not only good, but it's important if you want to be happy. It's normal. It's part of life. It's healthy. Makes you open-minded and strong.

I really enjoyed my stay in Ontario and didn't regret coming here for a split-second. I discovered my passion in HR, made friends, and I learned a lot! And I think that's the key to being happy, regardless of the circumstance you find yourself in: see the good in everything and grasp it, get to know and take an interest in those around you, and see what you can learn from your situations and apply those lessons. One can easily discover faults and choose to be unhappy. Seeing the good in it and learning as much as you can? That takes a little more effort and a little more strength. But anyone can do it. I'm not saying my life in Ontario was a breeze... I had to move out of my first apartment there and find another place 20 days before I was supposed to fly back to BC, my aunt passed away, and though I loved what I did and the people I worked with, I still had stressful and frustrating moments at work. It's not that HR isn't for me or that the company wasn't a fit; it's just something everyone faces regardless of the career path they choose or who they work with.

I could easily say I hate Ontario because it reminds me of losing my aunt and not having any family members nearby. Or that housing in Ontario sucks because of that one apartment I had to move out of. Or that I hate recruitment because of that one game series for the Brampton Beast where we were understaffed. We need to grow up and accept the fact that life isn't a walk in the park and that happy people face struggles in life too. The difference is that happy people take those struggles as learning opportunities and strive to make things better, rather than dwelling on them and feeling sorry for themselves. My dad once said that the best medicine for sadness or frustration is work. That's what I did when times got hard... I put my head down and worked my Brazilian butt off. I swallowed those negative emotions down, slapped a smile on my face and cracked jokes around my coworkers. They didn't deserve to have me take my hardships out on them, because they were awesome. But even if they were jerks, they still didn't deserve it, I think. Work ethic and attitude are therefore, from what I learned, the two key ingredients to being happy.

Another secret to being happy is to develop hobbies and discover your passions. This last summer I taught myself how to knit and found out I love it. The summer before that I got back into writing by starting this blog. I also discovered working out can be fun! Whenever I have a bad day, I know I can count on my blog (and hopefully you readers), the gym, or my knitting needles to lift me up. Have that back-up activity. Don't ever allow yourself to have one of those "I'm bored and depressed because my friends are busy and I have nothing better to do right now" moments. Take classes. And if you're cheap, Pinterest and YouTube are up and ready to teach you new things.

I'm sad to leave Cosmos Sports and the Brampton Beast. I absolutely LOVED my internship there and have nothing to complain about it at all. I'm going to miss coming to work every day in either one of the offices and being surrounded by amazing people as I do what I love doing. I'm going to miss learning every day and I'm going to miss my coworkers. But I'm excited to have a car in Kelowna. I'm excited to reunite with Puppy Char (my friend who I haven't seen in 18 months) and Kaylia, who will be back in February. I'm also excited to prepare for my endowments and for my nephew or niece to be born!

I also have really awesome news... yesterday I got a letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada inviting me to take my citizenship test on January 12th in Kelowna. I've been told that the time between your test and the ceremony is very short. This means I will become a Canadian citizen soon!!! YAAAAAAYYY!!! Time to start studying :)