And just like that… 12 weeks went a lot faster than I would have thought. The mentorship that Virtus provides, taught me so much about myself, exercise and the environment you surround yourself in.
In July 2018, I was told to start considering work placement for Semester 1 2019. The impatient and determined person I am decided to get my placement hours sorted quickly. I rushed to get all my pre-placement requirements organised, so I could complete my hours over the summer break. This was probably one of the best uni decisions I’ve made.
I came across the Virtus Mentorship through my work placement coordinator, who sends out a bunch of emails weekly, prompting students to get placement done over the summer. I would spend ages scrolling through all the advertisements, overthinking each one. They were either too far away from home or something I would think I was not good enough for. When I came across the advertisement for Virtus, I was excited when I realised it was only 10 minutes away from home. Plus, it looked like a pretty impressive gym.
After spending an hour of stalking their social media and website, I thought to myself, “alright this place looks cool”. From that moment on, the more I learned about what this company valued, the more eager I was to sign up.
In week 1 of the mentorship, there was a lot of talk about ‘comfort zone’. This made me feel excited and nervous all at the same time. I remember thinking at one stage after my first shift, “oh well I can always just give up and stop coming if this is way too much outside of my comfort zone”. I look back at this thought now, and laugh.
When it came to week 12, I really thought about how I couldn’t see myself leaving. I hit a realisation of how much I had learnt, in such a short time. Each moment of lecture content, masterclasses and face-to-face training I observed, has helped towards my knowledge and awareness. Every conversation I had with clients and staff, has helped me towards building my confidence and communication. Looking back on the past 12 weeks, I realise how much this has contributed toward my personality and skills.
Overall, after the mentorship, I developed a tonne of lifestyle changes that have stuck with me. This includes daily gratitude, journalling, 5am wake ups, reading, mindfulness, always* being open-minded, confident and curious. Although, my biggest takeaway would be the excitement I feel for whatever the future has planned. And the thing is, I have no idea what that plan is. Before I started at Virtus, this thought would scare me. But now, I honestly feel more ready than ever to tackle any challenges that come my way.
*When I can help it.
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“Time is like a river that carries us forward into encounters with reality that require us to make decisions. We can’t stop our movement down this river and we can’t avoid those encounters. We can only approach them in the best possible way.”
