Lessons or reiterations?

I didn’t get to post yesterday, I was feeling a bit under the weather. But with all the rest I got, I’m all revitalized and ready to tackle the tasks of the day. Tasks of the day are: apply to jobs, apply to jobs and apply to jobs!

However, in keeping with the theme of the week – LESSONS LEARNED – I also have a lesson learned to share:

While this shouldn’t really be a NEW lesson learned, it is one that has to be reiterated on a daily basis and repeated as a mantra. All you can do is your best, yet remember that, at best, you are only human.

I strive to do my best 100% of the time. I’m a perfectionist. I am an overachiever. I will never be a mediocre person, especially when it comes to my job performance. I want to be sought after and known for getting the job done, doing the job well, completing before deadlines with no errors or complaints. And most importantly, I want to be known for being dependable, reliable, and loyal. I possess all these qualities; I just want to make sure that my employer sees me that way too.

With only being able to do our best, we are only human too, and mistakes happen. If there is one thing I have learned in the last 5 yrs of my time in the workforce, is to take ownership - including successes and failures. 

I will admit, I have made mistakes. But I will also admit that, I fix my mistakes. I always have a solution, resolution to offer and that’s what is remembered. Maybe not so much that you messed up in the first place, but that you were able to fix it in the end! And there is absolutely no point in throwing someone else under the bus, even if the mistake was initially their fault (but you are ultimately responsible for the project, task and thus the mistake falls on you). And there is no point in skirting the issue that it was your fault. Own up to it, fix it, and move on.

Back to the main lesson, in trying to please everyone – boss, family, friends – someone or something falls through the cracks and then it all will eventually fall apart. Keeping a balance of all of these factors has to be the most important aspect of being an adult, and the most difficult. We cant let the stress of the job come home and we cant let the personal issues of our life go to work either. And then all the while, we also need our time alone to keep at least a tiny bit of our independence alive.

I know I have fallen prey to all of this – bringing my stress from work home and taking my personal issues to work and losing my independence in a relationship. But I have taken ownership of it and work daily to be aware of this and do my best to keep it all separate. It’s always going to be a work in progress for sure. I think its also about time management. Being organized at work so that your time there is spent actually working and thus getting home on time to be with family and friends and then also carving out some alone time (mine are gym, reading, DIY/crafts/painting). But inevitably someone will feel left out and therefore, its impossible to please everyone all the time. And that’s just something we have to deal with and get past.

Knowing that we are doing our best, is the best we can do in these situations.  And that’s all I can do too.