Raising Through The Struggles

Earlier today, I stumbled upon a note I wrote in my diary some time ago, and reading it stirred up a wave of emotions within me. I was taken back to a chapter of my life when, at the time, I felt like a failure and loser, but I later got to realize just how much failure can shape us, refine us, and sometimes lead to growth in ways we might not immediately recognize.

A few years ago, I worked as a customer service officer in my former place of work. I remember how excited I was when I got the job. After months of being unemployed and sad, I was desperately looking for something decent to do that would get me out of the house and give me at least a sense of purpose. Even though it wasn’t the job I had envisioned for myself, I took it with gratitude; at least I won't be unemployed again. If only I knew that this job would test me in ways I wasn’t prepared for, I probably would have rejected the offer.

My first few months there were tiring, frustrating, and overwhelming. I used to think customer service jobs were straightforward; you just need to answer customers' questions and all that. There were days I would cry, sometimes in the store, bathroom, and mostly at home. I made a lot of costly mistakes, and I had to use my own money to pay for those errors. It got to the point that whenever my salary was paid, I just kept a portion of my salary just in case. Each mistake felt like a blow to my confidence, and this made me think maybe I wasn’t cut out for the job.

To make the matter worse, my head of unit and head of operations were not helping; they would often quarrel at every slightest mistake. There were days when they would gossip about me and even laugh at my mistakes; I won't lie, it was really humiliating and heartbreaking. But through it all, I kept going. I didn’t quit, even though there were days when I wanted to tender my registration letter. But I really needed the money, but more than that, deep down I didn’t want to give up on myself. I was willing and determined to push myself through the discomfort; I wanted every one of my mistakes to turn into a learning phase.

Slowly I started noticing that I was improving; I began to pay closer attention to my work. I had to calmly identify all the areas where I was struggling. I started asking questions because I wanted to get better. I had to learn how to stay calm under pressure, to communicate with both customers and staff more effectively, and to learn the art of handling difficult situations.

I started noticing little progress, and it built my confidence, and each failure i make became a stepping stone toward growth. Looking back now, I must say that I am very proud of myself. That particular period of my life was really painful and tough, but I am glad that it shaped me into a stronger, more capable person. I am so proud of myself that I didn’t let the failures define who I am or what I am capable of doing.Reading those notes today reminded me of how far I have come and how much I have grown.

Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” - Denis Waitley

Images are mine

THANK YOU FOR READING TO THE END 🤗