You Are Prey

You are prey.

In the jungle you need to remember that you are always at risk of being a prey, be it an assault that is intentional or not you will be facing challenges and dangers that can be crucial in keeping or breaking your career - be it criticisms, mishaps, resignations, or deliberate sabotage. It usually comes when you least expected it, when you have experienced a long period of peace, it comes like a thief in the night waking you from a deep slumber, rousing you to a challenge that you can never imagine to face.

Like a silent predator, it creeps, waiting to pounce at your moment of defenselessness, your moment of peace. As it attacks you will feel pain, you will feel yourself bleed, your fight or flight response is triggered. You open your eyes to the flash of red and your ears ringing in pain. Questions begin to appear in your head, why? Of all the time in the world why now? Everyone loves peace, and stability but the problems and challenges keeps us on our toes, making sure that our claws and fangs never grow dull, we sturdy ourselves.

As the bombardment stops, you rise, bloody, staggering. Slowly you try to find your bearings, trying to limp your way throughout the day, will you be able to recover? You wonder, you lose heart, you grow depressed; suddenly you recall how harsh the corporate jungle is and that your small patch of peace was an illusion created by a false sense of security that you have felt after a period of stability. Feeling lost, you question your skills, the bomb has been dropped, but the recovery is a long road ahead - painful and usually bloody. Will you let that stop you?

Standing on both of your two feet after the attacks are difficult, but you are a professional and as a professional you are expected to hold your head high. Bloody and bandaged you are faced with a fork on the road, to push on your career or to be crushed under the pressure. Whatever your choice be, remember this will be the first of many, and how you come back after being beaten down will be the test of your character and resilience.

Open your eyes. The world is not a playground, and not everyone is your friend. There are those who are scheming behind your back, people waiting for you to go die so that they can take what you have worked your ass for. In this jungle nothing is permanent, one mistake can kill you, and believe you me your career life will die just like that. You are expendable, talented as you are, unless you own the company you are not invincible. It doesn't matter if you have brought numerous accolades you are only as good as your last task and if you blunder, expect all your previous good deeds to be dust in the wind - easily forgotten.

If you truly love what you do, problems are to be expected, despite them you soldier forward. Nothing is perfect, everything that happens is a result of an action and everything is but a mere reaction, so whatever the preceding action is you must remember you can control your reaction. Even if it hurts. Even if you have been beaten to a pulp, even if you feel like your world just ended before your eyes, you still control your reaction. Buck up! It's not going to be an easy road, but it is a road you still have to cross, if not for your career at least do it for yourself. The jungle is unforgiving but everything is just a passing moment. To you it may have been the turning point but in the Corporate Jungle it is just another episode that has happened in the past, a rerun. During this time you are vulnerable, remember to not let yourself be devoured by the wolves and vultures who are just waiting for you to roll over and die. Keep strong what is left of you and move forward, one meager step at a time.

Slowly but surely, gather your pride, one piece at a time, smile everyday, and be hold your head high difficult as it is. Forgive, but never forget the pain, forgive the person, but never forget the experience. Use them to fuel the fires inside and never let it die, even in your moment of peace keep them lit. Take all their criticisms, bind them, and use them as a shield, let those hateful words turn into armor, as fodder to grow your strength. Tell yourself everyday, "Challenge accepted", build yourself, from the debris, fortify it with the strength you found from all the bad experiences, and one day you will be surprised you have once again built your castle.