There have been many times over the years when I feel I have failed to perform well at a job or on a particular project. Each has been a learning experience and has contributed to making me the person I am right now. It’s hard to say if all my past failures have fallen into the category of Deliver Quality Work, Create and Foster Trust, or Add Value to the Production/Company/Idea.
I think the example that stands out the most would have to be my first full time job after graduating college. I had moved to the District of Columbia and found work as a receptionist for a massage therapy studio in Arlington, VA. I found out through working as a receptionist that there are a number of things I am not good at. The job did not offer much downtime or room to breathe. One minute I was answering phones, the next folding sheets, then pulling client files, checking in new patrons, and more, all while greeting and checking people in and out of their appointments. Now I know that I work the best when I can focus on one task for an extended amount of time. I can still manage to work on multiple projects, but jumping from task to task every few minutes is more than a match for me.
Needless to say, I was not great in this role. I was taken aside by our manager after multiple meetings to be informed that I has messed up in some way. I was trying so hard to keep up with my duties, but I still couldn’t make it work. I eventually left the company after getting my own massage therapy license.
I think one of the big things I learned through my experience working as a receptionist, though I didn’t realize it until much later, is the importance of hard work. Throughout college I didn’t apply myself well to the tasks and responsibilities that came with attending school and therefore my grades suffered and I had an overall bad experience with school. I mostly assumed things would work out, even if I didn’t apply myself fully to the process. This work experience helped to show me that I have to exert and commit myself to get the results I want out of my work, my personal life, and everything in between.