According to my mom, I was "born with a clipboard in hand'. I have always been organized, task orientated and color coded. Being just a tad OCD has led me to succeed not only in school, but in various jobs as well. I began as a receptionist for a salon back in high school and have remained on staff for all school breaks. Now, I have graduated into becoming a personal assistant for the owner of the salon as well as continuing my 40 hours a week as the receptionist.
Between answering phones, booking appointments, cashing out clients, loading laundry from the washer to the dryer and sweeping heaps upon heaps of hair, I am on call for pretty much anything that one can imagine. "This pedicure chair needs to be put together." So, I built a chair and was pretty proud after lifting an obscene amount of weight on my own. Once presenting my hard work I heard, "Wait, I really do not like that color. Can you send it back?" This was a rough one to 'undo' since there was absolutely no paperwork in any of the boxes. That's right, I pieced together the working pedicure chair without directions and found a way to have it sent back and refunded.
"Camp just called and my daughter is sick. Can you go get her?" This one surprised me because I had to leave the desk and phones unattended as I drove to rescue my boss's ailing daughter from a scorching day at summer camp. I took her to Dunkin Donuts to get a strawberry Coolatta and then entertained her back at the salon while juggling the tasks actually outlined in my job description. We always do her homework together and then she plays on my computer during slow periods.
"My car won't start. Will you come pick me up?" There's always something, but I was totally happy to do it. We all have rough mornings and she doesn't live too far away.
"I need a vacation. *smile* Will you book me one?" Planning a Disney vacation was so much fun! From flights and hotels, to FastPass, I had a ball, but totally wished I could've tagged along for the fun vacation to Florida.
I was never formally asked to be a personal assistant, my job just morphed into that. I have learned how to multitask even more. I've ordered just about every single kind of Starbucks drink imaginable, I have become more easy-going as things pop up and it is my responsibility to manage them. And I've come to appreciate myself and have been taught a stronger, fuller, more respectable sense of self. Hard work takes going that extra mile. My boss always acknowledges how I go above and beyond for her and although it is sometimes tiring, I wouldn't do it for anyone else, unless of course they offered to bring me to Disney too!
