I am an email hoarder. I will admit that. If our lives were parallel to our to our Gmail inboxes, I would probably be committed and shamed on TLC. Occasionally, I try to remedy this. I’ll go back and try to delete outdated and irrelevant emails. Well, today was one of those days. I picked a random date and started deleting. And deleting. And deleting. Until one email caught my eye.

In 2012, I began a frantic job search. I may be exaggerating a bit—but at the time, I was working for a company and looking for something new. I remember applying to many companies–big and small, well-known and budding. One happened to be a position at Uber, the now popular app-based taxi service company. I’m assuming they were expanding their online presence and wanted a community manager based out of Atlanta. When I opened the email today, I saw that the hiring personnel responded and requested I send a writing sample. And that’s where the buck stopped.

Why didn’t I respond?! Why didn’t I pursue that further?

For a solid minute, I sat stunned. I could have been part of something great. Then life snapped back. I obviously wasn’t supposed to respond. That job wasn’t meant for me.

In fact, I was meant to have the job I am in now. The timing and details of how I found this position to the interviewing process to how I bonded with one of the hiring managers and everything in between was simply kismet. This is what I was supposed to do next. This was meant for me.

Have you ever had a “why didn’t I…” moment? We all have, I imagine. But don’t try to focus on the missed opportunities. Look at what happened instead. Where you are right now is where you are supposed to be—whether that’s jobless, broke, or heartbroken. Because when that epiphanic breakthrough happens, you’ll get it. You’ll understand why you didn’t answer that phone and why you got in that car. Everything before was preparing you that moment. And you’ll appreciate it so much more.

Credits: Jake Givens

Published by Ashleigh

Ashleigh is a recent M.S. graduate from Northeastern University. She works as an interactive designer in Atlanta and loves dogs, Netflix, and great food. Oh, also the creator and designer of this here shindig you are reading right now. View my impersonal personal blog @ socialeigh.com.

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