Knowing What You Want? It doesn't always come easy!
Before I left for Australia I was a slave to my desk at my 9 - 5 office job but it was more like I was a slave to my 24 / 7 career as an accountant. As I started planning my escape from reality I pictured working at some cafe on the beaches of Australia where I could leave my problems at work. Here I am in Australia with my cafe job and I'm at a complete loss.
I work for a coffee chain I immediately fell in love with upon my arrival to Australia. The coffee is consistently delicious and the food surprisingly satisfying. All of my managers are pleasant and the customers are a mix of vacationers or locals looking for an easy life so coming to work is as easy as I hoped.
I have a lot of respect for people who work in the customer service industry as a career. The fluctuating schedule can be gruelling, standing on your feet all day is exhausting and staying pleasant in this heat can sometimes be challenging but 3 shifts in I couldn't help but feel like I personally took a step backwards. No matter how much I've told myself this is what I wanted, intuitively, now that I've experienced it, I know that I want so much more and being on vacation is not a good enough excuse to not be fulfilling my career dreams.
I'm not embarrassed to say I work in cafe, in fact, I'm very grateful to have consistent work after seeing all of the people coming in to the cafe who can't find work at all. I'm in a beach town and I make over $18 / hour serving coffee and talking to really cool people but I have to ask permission to go to the bathroom and fight for hours every week and I can't help but feel slightly demoralized. If I put a straw in my glass of water it's considered stealing.
With all of this being said, I wouldn't change this experience at all. If I hadn't got this job, I know without a doubt, I would have gone home thinking, "I never did get that beach job I wanted". It also makes me fight for my dreams even more and put any self doubts about my dreams into perspective. I would rather struggle and move slowly towards my dreams then to settle for less then my potential.
I know this is a lesson I could have only learnt by doing. This just reinforces my opinion that it's better to have a bad experience then to regret not having the experience at all.
I know this is a lesson I could have only learnt by doing. This just reinforces my opinion that it's better to have a bad experience then to regret not having the experience at all.
I also have a renewed appreciation for all of the baristas who make my coffee perfect with every order. Hats off to you!
Melina - Thank you for your honesty and reflection. No matter how many times people want to teach us something so that we avoid the pain of mistakes/detours, I think we often have to learn for ourselves by living out the options - isn't that just life? How boring would it be to not have those learning opportunities! You are a brilliant, warm-hearted woman and I know you will find the path that fulfills your potential! Hugs and good wishes, Marta <3
ReplyDeleteThank you Marta, that's really kind. Once again, you make me feel so supported.
ReplyDeleteI was so sure this is what I wanted that it came to more of a shock for me that it didn't fit then if I had just tried something new without expectation. It made me question how well I know what I want for myself. I just reminded myself that at least I'm getting closer by eliminating the paths I don't want. One less option to think about which in this case is good.
Melina! Well now I know I could relate to this post for obvious reasons (11 years of starbucks hell lol) But what you said about not being able to have learned this lesson without doing it, speaks volumes. For the past 5 years I have been pushing, and wishing for something I wanted to happen in my life, and when it finally did, my life fell apart. everything I held true, became false, my 'happiness' that I so boldly demanded, was never where I thought it was. But without having gone through the transition I NEVER would have found my values and learned what things I actually must have to be happy. I had to experience this so that I could let that idea go, see that it wasn't the life I wanted, only the thought or idea of what it represented.
ReplyDeleteYou are inspiring.
The bit about the straw is too bizarre!
ReplyDeleteGood on ya, Melina!
Love,
AJ (Auntie Judie - hahahah)