Growing up, I never felt that it was a disadvantage not having any siblings; or having parents that are not university or college-educated. I found myself pretty lucky in fact to have so much trust and belief from my parents to have the freedom to hopefully do the right thing. But because of this, I’ve always felt that I was somewhat alone in making a lot of the important choices in life to lead me to where I am today. Going to my high school was pre-destined by the one simple test I took when I was in grade 4 to determine if I was able to get into the extended French program. Without that, I would’ve never continued to take French in university leading me to eventually do a year’s exchange in Paris, France in my third year. I was sold on going to the University of Waterloo simply by knowing that one smart girl in my summer English class was accepted and was ready to pack her bags to go. (That later changed when she decided it wasn’t the right university for her and switched out; but if it hadn’t been for her, my life wouldn’t be the same.)

Once you’ve made the choice of the high school or of your college/university, it’s great because your life is on autopilot for a few years at each step. You go through the motions of classes, exams, relationships, friendships, one day after the next. It’s what comes afterwards that no one really prepares you for.

You’re all of a sudden pushed into the workforce and whether you go on a grad trip or take the summer off, more often than not you’re starting your full time career as a fresh grad. Even though I’m really thankful for the experience I got as a co-op student (again another experience I could not imagine myself without),  I really stumbled my way through job interviews, and somehow, someway, I managed to get myself into an industry that feels like such a perfect fit. For that, I am very thankful. But it leads me to think, what else is next? There are no more rules. You hope to find a job that you’ll love, find a partner to spend the rest of your life with, invest in a house, start a family, etc. But there’s no “program” where everything’s laid out for you. No one sits you down to counsel you on how to plan out the next stage of your life.

I attended an event last Thursday thanks to @NotableCA, bringing together young professionals and 24 of the top Toronto executives into a round table networking dinner. One of the executives we dined with, said something that really spoke to me. Someone asked, “How much does luck and timing have to do with (your) success?” He responded, “You make your own luck”. In life, you’re presented with opportunities all the time, but it’s up to you what you make of them. He went on to give us examples of how he started off as a lawyer, only to realize when he hit his 40’s that he was not passionate and decided to quit and start his own venture. It took him 3 years of toughing it out until he reached a turning point when a good friend/old acquaintance believed in him and gave him his first piece of business. Now he’s managing millions of dollars of investments for people and he owes everything to the network that he’s built around him, who was there for him when he needed the support. This says a lot to me because I think it’s really true; you never know what’s to happen, you never know how someone you meet once will show up again in your life one day. There’s a lot of things that I do where I’m giving up my own time to help someone out, volunteering for organizations, going to networking events to make new connections, and all the while, not really knowing where my efforts may go. But I have to hold onto the the belief that everything happens for a reason. And when you figure that out, that’s when you realize how beautiful life is.

My friend sent this to me a while ago and thought I would share it with all of you here. Truly some words of inspiration and gets you thinking. Thanks

Remember one thing… winning isn’t normal.  That doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with winning.  It just isn’t the norm.  It is highly unusual.

Every race only has one winner.  No matter how many people are entered, only one person or team wins each event.  Winning is unusual.  So it requires unusual action.  In order to win, you must do extraordinary things.  You can’t just be one of the crowd.  The crowd doesn’t win.  You have to be willing to stand out and act differently.

Your actions need to reflect unusual values and priorities.  You have to value success more than others do.  You have to want it more!  Remember, wanting more is a decision YOU make and act upon.  You have to make your values a top priority.  You can’t train like everyone else.  You can’t be like everyone else.  You have to train more, be willing to be different.

You can’t talk like everyone else.  You can’t think like everyone else.  You can’t be too willing to join the crowd, to do what is expected, to act in a social manner, to do what’s “in”.  You must be constantly willing to stand out in the crowd and constantly take exceptional action.  If you want to win and be part of a winning team, you need to accept the risks and perhaps the loneliness…because winning isn’t normal.

- Sports Psychologist, Dr. Keith Bell

Convocation - October 23rd, 2010

My beautiful family – mom, godmother, dad, godbrother

My everything – Sonya, Sophia, Wen, Anitha (& missing others)

Thank you to everyone who made this such a special day. I could not have asked for a better 5 years spent at the University of Waterloo. It will always be a second home close to my heart. Thank you to all of my friends, family, coworkers and everyone else I met that made it such an incredible experience from the first day I stepped onto campus all the way to convocation. Major thank you to Teddy Chau, one of the most amazing photographers I know for helping me capture every single moment of the day, and piecing together one of the most beautiful and thoughtful gifts I have ever received.

Impact National Conference – November 12 – 13th, 2010

“Impact has been my education”. I will never ever forget that quote from the first meeting I ever sat in on Impact. Never would I have ever expected to stumble upon such an amazing organization filled with such passionate and like-minded individuals, many of whom have now become some of my closest friends. I owe so much to this organization from the sheer experience I have gained from holding all types of roles, the friendships I have built, and the supportive network around me. I am confident that no matter what road I end up taking that I will always have the strong support of all those who have been involved with Impact one way or another. Likewise, I will always do my best to give back.

Head Table Guests: Ron Tite, Sal from BDC, Michael Hyatt, Alex Shipillo, Kunal Gupta, Vino Jeyapalan

The most hardworking team of volunteers – the Impact Family

As with every good book, there’s always a final page. If it was a book that you loved, that you looked forward to reading every night, and where you were able to learn a lot from, it’s not an easy thing to put down and shelf it away. You find yourself wanting to linger, wanting to read more about their adventures and continuing the story. As much as you don’t want to put the book down, you’ll know when it’s the right time to put down the book and move onto the next chapter of your life. With graduation under my belt and my involvement with Impact winding down, I am beyond excited for all of the new opportunities to come.

There’s already a number of things that are in the works for 2011. I love the place that I am in right now and feel incredibly lucky to be working within a public relations firm housing such talented people, where I feel that I’m constantly being challenged and exposed to absolutely relevant opportunities for my career and personal development. On the side, I will continue to be actively involved in all things surrounding the organization such as helping out with our annual charitable initiative, the Little Give, where every Edelman employee dedicates 48 hours to consult a non profit organization within our local community. Earlier this year, I had given up the opportunity to participate in a self-discovery trip to China with other CBCs (Canadian Born Chinese) students, and I don’t intend on letting go of that experience next year. Finally, I plan on continuing to support Impact playing a minor role and organizing an initiative on that front – lips are sealed at the moment! On top of all of this, who knows what might happen? That’s the beauty of it all.

Thanks for reading

]]> http://www.christinelu.ca/2010/12/moving-onto-the-next-chapter/feed/ 2 http://www.christinelu.ca/2010/11/resist-the-urge-to-hang-out-with-your-cell-phone/ http://www.christinelu.ca/2010/11/resist-the-urge-to-hang-out-with-your-cell-phone/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 04:34:19 +0000 Christine http://christinelu.ca/?p=496 “Society is afraid alone though”…

One of the best videos I’ve seen in a long time by a talented and humble lady – Tanya Davis whom I was fortunate enough to meet and chat over lunch while she was here in Toronto last week at Blissdom Canada. I hope you take the 4 minutes out of your day to watch it. I saw it for the very first time last week at Blissdom, and now I can’t stop watching it. Courtesy of my employer, I felt very fortunate to be able to attend what’s considered as one of the first social media conferences hosted for women, by women in Canada. It was an eye opening experience, to be in a room full of powerful women who have gone and created a brand for themselves online whether it’s through blogging or by their own business. I met some pretty incredible people over the two days and much like the video, I completely agree that by putting yourself in unfamiliar or uncomfortable environments, is only when you’re going to learn the most.

I have tickets to watch Toronto’s premiere screening of Morning Glory, but guess what? Only got one. I’ve never gone to the movies by myself before, but this video makes me think that it’ll be okay. Think I’m gonna give it a go