For millennials with their limited work experiences, looming student debt and conflicting timetables, it seems nearly impossible to find meaningful work these days.

As a job searcher myself, I’m starting to feel this strain more than ever.

But rather than falling into a hole of self-pity and despair (which is totally acceptable and bound to happen from time to time), I decided to take the words of Madam C.J. Walker – a hair-care entrepreneur and the first female self-made millionaire in America – to heart.

“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them!”

-Madam C.J. Walker