Overcome.

Everyone faces hardship in their lives. Life isn't made to be easy, it's made to be lived. Good can't truly be appreciated without some sort of negative to compare it to. These hardships have to be viewed as learning opportunities. A chance to grow. Whether it's a failed class, a personal loss, or the petty drama that comes with the act of "growing up," it hurts. It sucks.

I'm no stranger to hardship. My family wasn't very well-off growing up. I lost my father at a young age, and I've adjusted poorly to college. I'm also bi-polar, which makes things difficult at times. It's contained, controlled, and highly-monitored. It's still not fun.

As much as I'd like to cry and moan about the difficulties I've faced throughout my life, especially in the last year or two, tonight put things in perspective. I watched a friend go through her own inner-struggle, and helping her sort out her feelings was a chance to step back and regard mine. Watching her bravely fight a personal battle against the challenges of this scary thing called "life" helped shed a new light on things.

Hardship and strife are gifts. The ability to overcome them is a blessing. And from here, life isn't meant to get easier. You can't spend your life saying "college will be less stressful than high school," then "my career will be less stressful then college." That then becomes, "After I have some experience, work will be less stressful," which morphs into, "After that promotion, work will be less stressful."

Life doesn't get less stressful. It doesn't necessarily get easier. Your blessings pile up and your things to be thankful for grow. Loved ones, families, homes and hopes and dreams become reality. But the difficulties will always arise. Just like I'll always be bi-polar, life with always have curve balls.

Just overcome. Climb the hill. Get to the other side. Learn your lessons, and grow. That's what it's all about, after all. Live isn't made to be easy, is made to be lived.

Passion.

The title says it all. It's the cornerstone of any successful career. It's the motivation that fills a resume'. It's the thing that keeps you coming back, even when you get knocked down. It keeps you in school when the stress is too much. It makes you pick up that pen and keep filling out job, internship, scholarship, and grant applications after rejection. It translates into other emotions and characteristics...stubbornness, strength, drive. Passion breeds these traits.

Passion is my motivator. Whatever the source of your passion, you need to hang on to it. Dig your claws in and hang on for dear life.

Passion can be a double-edged sword. Too much passion can lead to things like disappointment, burn-out, exhaustion, or even despair. Unchecked passion can backfire. But without passion, what is the point of doing what you're doing?

I'm almost done with my sophomore year of college. I have a few weeks left to a successful internship. I've had my first freelance video production and post-production job. I've gotten hits from news organizations, communications departments, and head hunters. I've been given offers and ideas. I've even created a Monster profile because it's easier to post my resume' there than explain to people why my resume' isn't posted anywhere.

Take a look at the people around you. You can tell who's found their passions. They're the students who stay up until 4 a.m. working on a project relating to their intended career, and don't mind. (I was once told that I was the happiest all-nighter partner a friend had ever had. We were doing PhotoShop work. Why wouldn't I be happy?)

Think about your goals. Think about where you want to go. Are you happy with what you see? Are you happy, or just content? Don't settle for something that just makes you feel "okay" about what you do. It's never too late to re-evaluate your dreams. I've found mine, now go make sure you've found yours.

Death of the Unpaid Intern

Jobs aren't necessarily easy to find these days. Sure, if you're looking to break into a booming industry, there may be plenty of entry-level positions to be filled. One of the best ways to improve your chances of getting a job is through internships.

Previously, many interns fought tooth-and-nail to get the experience and prestige that comes with high-stakes corporate internships. If you haven't seen"The Pursuit of Happyness" I suggest you see it; it's a great movie, but also offers a good example of the vicious competition that comes with high-level, high-stakes internships. These unpaid experiences may be valuable, but to the companies hosting them, they're becoming risky.

The Department of Labor is cracking down, according to Inc.'s online magazine. Come to find out, the majority of these unpaid internships are actually illegal. There are laws in place to maintain a minimum wage for anyone, and the most of these unpaid internship positions directly conflict with those laws.

For years, companies have been feasting upon the necessity for one-of-a-kind experiences. They found that the youthful thirst of prospective interns outweighed the need for income. That era seems to be coming to an end. More and more, these young interns are wising up about the law. Lawsuits, both personal and public, have become fairly standard following or during unpaid internships.

Some unpaid positions are, in fact, legally unpaid. That's a rarity, though. So, as you and I head out to start our careers, we need to be skeptical. We need to understand our rights as employees, interns, and working citizens. Some short-term internships are worth not being paid; however, be sure you defend your rights.