Controlling the ‘controllables’

In honor of the Halloween season, I thought I’d share a spooky, scary experience I had last week.

While it might seem like a cake walk to some, my worst nightmare comes in the form of...drum roll please... interviews.
“Tell me a little about yourself,” and “Why should we pick you for this position?” prompt me to give an answer of gibberish time and time again, regardless of the hours of preparation beforehand.

What are my hobbies? My passions? My talents? I couldn’t tell you. My answers are locked away in a tiny, Rubik’s Cube-like box, written in a different language, guarded by knights and a dragon, located in the farthest depths of my brain.

This interview, in particular, came in regard to the one of the most important decisions of my life: choosing a university to pursue my Doctorate of Occupational Therapy degree.

Disclaimer: I absolutely love my job at the Greene County Daily World that allows me to cover my hometown community, and I will continue doing so until I make the move to Chicago in the summer.

I hopped on the call feeling like David against Goliath, as if I was logging into my own virtual funeral. My “casket” consisted of my favorite green blouse and black blazer. Look good, feel good, do good, right?

Deep down, I knew my experience had gotten me this far in the process, and simply being chosen for an interview was something to be proud of. Nonetheless, it goes without saying, I was extremely nervous.

Much to my surprise, responses began to roll off my tongue as if I was chatting with a close friend. That is, until they didn’t.

I seemed to completely misunderstand one of the questions asked, destroying every last shred of confidence I had left. My mind went blank. Crickets.

As time does, the interview carried on, but I couldn’t move on so easily.

I contemplated my misstep for the remainder of the day, letting it fester inside me and influence my mood until an unexpected email popped into my inbox.

Despite my dwindling morale, I was accepted into the program.

To say I was shocked is an understatement. I had allowed that one embarrassing response overrule every exemplary answer I had provided up to that point, giving myself tunnel vision of a straight shot to the worst possible outcome imaginable.

My point of sharing this story is to encourage every person reading this to never take life too seriously. Interviews are meant to be difficult, to put you in stressful situations and see how you respond under pressure. When you make a mistake, laugh it off and move on. Life is truly too short to over-analyze every misstep, even when those thoughts seem to take over like clouds on a rainy day.

A coach once gave me the advice of “controlling the controllables.” While I can’t go back and change my answers, I can control the way I respond to the situation. I now know what questions to expect in my next interview, and I’ve learned what NOT to do when my brain needs a few minutes to reboot like an outdated computer.

Whether you have an interview or just downright stressful situations looming on your calendar, remember to control the ‘controllables’. You are in command of your attitude and outlook of the situation at hand, so make it positive.

Although it might seem difficult to realize in the moment, time marches on, and I know I will as well, even if I make mistakes along the way.

Control what you can control, and the rest will work itself out in the end.

Erica is a Staff Writer for the Greene County Daily World. As a recent college graduate and retired softball player, she enjoys all things fitness and health. Erica loves cats of all shapes and sizes, the city of Chicago and a good word search puzzle.