by: The G

We don’t get to select the people that come to our lives, and that’s what makes life a thrill. One day, we may decide to go somewhere just for an uncertain purpose but may end up creating an unexpected friendship with great people out of a set of complementing personalities, a common trait of being real, and that simple yet undeniable chemistry produced by contagious positivity and intense drive to reach each of your goals. You may have not had the latter at first, but all of a sudden you feel it around these people. That’s when you know you have been touched or inspired and that you have contributed to that energy as well.

Ever had one of these?

This year, I have encountered this a lot. Every beginning of the stories was an unthought-of choice to get there, yet the outcome were all the same–growth.

It all began this summer when I impulsively sent my blog’s link to DBTK to apply for the internship they were offering. I knew nothing about the brand, honestly. All I was aware of was that I was a bored and confused college student dealing with sleepless nights, shameful but very real post-breakup issues, and that overwhelming feeling deep within my system that screams how much I actually missed writing under that dark cloud that was writer’s block.

Days passed, and I even forgot I sent an application at all…..
More days passed, and I received an e-mail saying my blog was fascinating followed soon by another e-mail informing me that they wanted to interview me.

Not expecting anything from that whole act of impulsivity, I was frantic! The whirlwind of emotions and thoughts came crashing in my already confused head. That’s when I knew I was actually thrilled not because I get to have a shot at this coveted internship but actually because everything was uncertain at that moment from whether I would be accepted or not to who am I going to meet there?
A few days passed, and the interview day came…..

Sitting in the waiting area, all cold and jacket-less, I started shaking. Until now, I’m still not sure if it was the temperature or the nerves. All I knew was that when I saw the other applicants, I thought to myself, “Jeez, I don’t belong here.”

Everyone looked like they spend all their free time working on their creative passions. Meanwhile, I looked like I had just walked in there not knowing what I was getting myself into, and honestly I slightly didn’t.

The interview was okay, I would say. What surprised me though was the writing test, for I uncovered a part of me there that seemed inspired and hungry to keep working on my passions which just an hour prior that was an unknown concept to me. I even thought I may have dived too emotionally into that whole essay asking me to write about how I would introduce or persuade someone who isn’t a fan of streetwear to try the products of DBTK.

I got home sure that I didn’t get in.
Days passed, when I had already forgotten about the whole thing already, and I received an e-mail saying I got in….

Then the day of the orientation for the interns came, and overwhelmed by how all these co-interns looked like they were in a whole other level, you could only imagine how a little uneasy it was sitting there waiting for the orientation to begin. What made it fun shortly after that though was when everyone started introducing themselves.

Everyone was as unfiltered as I am, and I knew right there and then that my impulsive choice to apply to this internship had a purpose, and that was to get to know these amazing people who soon became my friends.

Time went by, different projects were proposed and executed, and I got to know each of my co-interns more.We may have different personalities but we all share the similarity of wanting to create, transcend, and find happiness in life without the fire in our passions burning down in the process.

Even the bosses would always tell us stories about their own journeys in pursuit of their dreams, and when you hear them talk about the people they collaborate with–how they seem to be in this web of energy that roots from pure inspiration and that overflowing drive to create–you just seem to be caught in that web as well and feel all lit up to start that grind.

The internship taught me that indeed, we don’t get to select who we cross paths with in this life, but we could always learn a thing or two from these people and choose who we surround ourselves with in order to grow.

From that point, I jumped into another point to more that connected me with more inspirational people who all drew the line back to my point so I could be in touch with that passion burning inside me again.
Now, I live by my this line of a very inspirational friend I met just a few months ago, “I really dare you to…” whenever he asks us to do something from even the slightest things like helping him cook to being extra in school, work etc., and I think despite how funny it is in the surface, it has actually motivated me to dare myself to excel everyday. Now I think that’s just beautiful, so let me pass the dare…..

I really dare you to be with people who dare you to pursue your passions and reach your dreams.