Bent, not broken

I've seen a lot of other graduates of the UC San Diego Extension Copyediting Program proudly posting pictures of their certificate on LinkedIn, but I've held back. Why? I don't like to brag about myself as I always see areas for improvement within. But the parallelism surrounding my certificate and my journey is just too much not to share.

As you can tell by the pictures and the clearly written "Do Not Bend" instructions, my certificate did not exactly arrive in pristine shape. But then again, my path to this point wasn't exactly pristine either. Years of hard work, passion, dedication to those I served, and poor leadership in my previous profession had left me bent, misshapen, and crumpled. A career I once couldn't believe I would get paid to do had resulted in physical and mental health issues that left me no choice but to leave.

So I started a new journey - one that I could feel successful and valued within. As knowledgeable as I thought I was in the content, there was a lot to learn and re-learn. I wasn't perfect at it; I wasn't as good as I wanted to be. But I did it.

So when I received my long-awaited certificate to proudly hang on the wall in my new office, I was...deflated. The one item of proof that I had accomplished something, that I could be pristine again, came to my home looking like a stray cat that had a few run-ins.

As disappointed as I was, it got me thinking...

As much as I focused on my journey to get this certificate, I realized this certificate had quite the journey to get to me. It wasn't cared for or handled well either. It didn't come out looking great. But it still was in one piece. It wasn't perfect, but it got the job done.

This served as a great reminder that there will always be rough roads; there will always be events that damage and dent us; there will always be room for improvement. But if you care for yourself, frame yourself just right and have the right supports, you can turn out pretty good.