I don't know anyone who hasn't started over at some point in their life, whether they moved to a new area, or got a new job, or decided to study something different in school. Starting over is a core human experience, and one that you should know how to navigate. I have "achieved my goals", then quit and moved to a new job. I moved out of my hometown and learned how to live with roommates. In my last essay, Winning Is a Habit, I introduced the lessons from Vince Lombardi and the influence my dad had on my life. Those lessons underpin it all and give me the framework for trying new things.
I want to talk about my first job. I got hired at a local fast-food chain when I was 15, and I stuck with it for nearly four and a half years. My dad worked for the same company back in the day, and when I indicated I was thinking about getting a job, he helped me apply. My duties at first were very simple - bring food out to customers and keep the dining room clean. I would eventually learn more areas of the business, adding on cashiering and drive-thru to my repertoire. What did success look like for me at this time in my life? Well, I had a few monetary goals - I wanted to save up to buy a new computer, and eventually buy a car once I got my license. I also wanted to be the very best I could be each and every day at that job. I remember being newly sixteen - being old enough to work in the kitchen - and asking my managers repeatedly when I could start learning the kitchen. I saw a challenge and I was motivated to take it on.
Working in the kitchen required a completely different skill set than guest service. My first position back there was on the sandwich station. This sounds fairly straightforward, but it required me to work in a completely different way. I had to learn how to work efficiently and multi-task, as I was alone at the station. At the register, I didn't really have to multitask, and each task was one-after-another. This difficulty didn't steer me away, rather I welcomed the challenge and kept at, aiming to improve day-after-day.
During my third year with the job, I wanted to get a promotion. My new goal was to become a manager. This goal, however, wasn't one that I came up with. The owner of the restaurant saw potential in me and told me that I had the skills to do it. This goal I worked harder for than anything else prior. And ultimately, I would end up getting the promotion and started learning how to do my new job. I still remember my nights leading the team and doing what I could to make it a good shift: figuring out meal breaks and covering their station when needed, problem solving regularly, and making a difference in people's lives. It was at about this time that I thought of this job as a career and something that I can pursue after college. I knew of many individuals that climbed the ladder and were able to make a good living with the company.
A little over a year and a half later I would quit. This "failure" taught me a lot about myself. I didn't work for a month. I had so much of my identity tied up in my old job that I didn't even really know who I was. Going back into the workforce forced me to go back to the fundamentals of who I was. The new job I got was working for a local convenience store chain, something different enough to really start over, while similar enough to have a basic understanding of the work. I didn't join as a manager, no, I started back from the bottom. I kept college as my main priority, and work became just the way to fund my education. I learned that I wasn't strictly a "restaurant" person, but rather I had my own identity independent of my jobs or even my schooling. I learned that I actually could do great in whatever I set my heart to and that I didn't just "get lucky" with my first job.
This experience in starting over prepared me for leaving my hometown earlier this year. I was transferring to a new university for my senior year and I couldn't commute from home anymore. If you asked me when I started college if I would ever want to live with roommates, I would have told you absolutely not. But today, I am living with three roommates, friends that I met at college that were also looking for a place. It has been great so far -- the only issues are with the realities of being a renter in a college town and dealing with my landlord. Back to work, I didn't want to leave my new place behind. I had gotten to a point where I could apply for a similar manager position and was confident I could get it. I really liked the culture there and met lots of awesome people. But I could not stay. I decided to transfer stores within the same company to a store closer to where I was going to be living.
Starting at this new store was rough. I knew the job in-and-out, but I didn't know any of the people or the management. They didn't know me either. I left after the first day regretting my choice and thinking about just calling it quits. But I stuck it out. I knew that trying to get a job somewhere else wouldn't automatically make things better and that I needed to give this new place a fair chance. And for that, I am glad I did. I got to know some people down here and got used to the job again.
That's my story in starting over. It was difficult and scary at times, but I remembered the fundamentals and stuck it out. I've worked for three places now, moved out of my parent's home, and am in my senior year of college. When I had to start over, I didn't start from the "bottom," I still had all the lessons from everything before. When I started with my current company, I still knew customer service, cooking, and what hard work looks like. In your life, you will have to start over. Remember the fundamentals and show up every day willing to make it work.
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