With severe cases of mental exhaustion and under-eye bags large enough to carry small children being the only scars to remind us of the hellish battle that is finals week, some college students across the nation headed home to hit the beach with their hometown friends and to have a few months of sunshine to themselves. Others, like myself, looked at their bank account, had a mini panic attack, and scoured the internet during the first week of summer looking for a job.
I was not expecting much from this summer job; I was pretty much just looking for something tolerable that would put a couple extra bills in my pocket. And when I agreed to work full-time, I expected my summer to pretty much be worse than finals week. However, I certainly was not expecting an experience so life-changing. Here are x things I've learned from working full-time this summer.
1. Failure only makes you stronger.
They say a person's hardest critic is themselves, and for my entire life, that's been true. When I don't pick up on a certain skill right away, I immediately become frustrated with my inability to successfully complete the task at hand. Working in the food industry for the first time this summer, I needed to learn a multitude of skills within my short week of training. Needless to say, I failed...a lot. It wasn't until one of my managers said, "Take it easy, you've only been here a week; give it some time," that I realized I needed to embrace my failure rather than be ashamed of it. With time comes wisdom and experience; it's okay to fail at first, as long as you give the next try your all.
2. Patience truly is a virtue.
Let's just say my patience this summer was tested quite a bit. From sassy customers to training the newbies, I learned that sometimes, you just have to take a deep breath and suck it up. That rude customer could simply be having the worst day of his/her entire life; make it a little better by showing them kindness rather than hostility. And remember that at one point, you yourself were the newbie trying to master the skills you know by heart today. When you show others patience and understanding, it allows for growth, rather than stagnation.
3. I can't do everything by myself (even if I want to).
If you're like me, you hate asking for help. I like to think of myself as a strong, independent woman who is more than capable of handling her responsibilities without bringing in other people to deal with her burdens. But sometimes, you just don't have enough time, energy, or hands to complete all of the tasks at hand. I'd like to thank my manager Jen for reminding me of this: "I'm here for you. If you need something, just tell me; that's what I'm here for." So when someone offers you help, don't deny it because of your pride, because they're really just looking out for your best interests.
4. It's important to cherish time spent with family and friends.
Being away at school for nine months, I thought I already knew that it was important to cherish each moment with your family and friends. But working most days during the summer this year, I've really come to understand just how precious each second is you spend with your family members and best friends. It's not about having the time to go on extravagant adventures or fancy dinners with your loved ones; it's enjoying the little moments, like eating a home-cooked meal with your family while you watch Jeopardy together or long car rides with your best friends to nowhere, music on full blast. It's about cherishing these moments in between your shifts because any time spent with a loved one is precious and should be remembered forever.
5. Serious time management skills.
Between getting up at the right time to make up for rush hour traffic, to completing all of my tasks at work on time (10:30 a.m., to be exact); from being home in time for dinner (sorry, Mom), and scheduling time in to see my loved ones, time management has been both my best friend and my own worst enemy. Some days I was really good with my timing; most days, however, I could be found running to and fro, forgetting everything I needed to do, and wishing there were more than 24 hours each day. Long story short: I'm still working on this.
6. Waking up early is way harder than I thought it would be.
When I first looked at my schedule and saw that early 7 a.m. shift, I thought to myself, This won't be so bad, I've gotten up early for school in the past, this can't be too different. Wrong. After a year of staying up late and waking up just before noon in college, my body was not prepared to go to sleep before 10 p.m. and wake up easily at 5:30 a.m. This brings me to my next point.
7. Coffee is my best friend.
Working next door to a Starbucks is quite possibly one of the best (and worst) things ever. Did half of my paycheck feed my coffee addiction? Yes. But when I had to wake up for those early shifts, I knew I could grab some coffee. Long ride home during rush hour? Coffee. Need a boost of energy? Coffee. My coffee addiction has led me to great places, including being friends with the manager, the barista knowing my name and order, as well as being charged for a tall when I order a venti. I no longer get weird looks when I ask for not two shots, but four shots of espresso. As my general manager once said, "I wish I could have an IV of espresso." Me, too, Sadie. Me, too.
8. Taking at least 15 minutes a day to do something you love is important.
With work comes stress and fatigue. However, stress truly is a silent killer; it can make you mentally and emotionally exhausted, as well as create physical illness. That being said, I discovered this summer that it is extremely important to take at least 15 minutes every day to do something you love. When you love what you do, you are in a relaxed state of mind. Every day after my shift, I would do something I truly loved--usually reading or writing, although I never said no to the kitchen dance party for one--and I would immediately feel more relaxed and forget the stress from the previous hours. I highly recommend this for anyone feeling stress for any reason. Remember, happy mind means happy soul.
9. A positive environment makes all the difference.
The type of energy you put into the universe is the type of energy you attract back. So, positive mind means positive vibes. When one person came into work with negative energy, it really did affect the rest of the employees. I've learned it's important to leave your stress and your problems at the door when you walk into work and focus on the tasks at hand. Take those hours during your shift to distract yourself and clear your mind. That way, both you and your coworkers will be productive and have positive energy radiating throughout the workplace. Luckily, this was easy for me because...
10. Your coworkers become your second family.
I was lucky enough to work in a place where everyone cared about each other. When someone was down, we all tried to cheer them up. If someone was angry or upset, we sat down, listened, and talked about. Yes, we bickered sometimes, but that's just what families do. I quickly learned that my coworkers had my back and I had theirs.
While my summer was filled with ups and downs at work, I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. See you in a year, full-time.
Special shoutout to my Chipotle family for the endless laughs, countless hugs and eternal words of encouragement. You all hold a special place in my heart and I will miss you all dearly until I see you again. Endless love.
