Hard Work Pays Off...and Mistakes are Inevitable!!

Dear Sparklers,

It has been a while since I have written to you.  A lot has changed in life, and in such a short time!  I have graduated college with my bachelors in political science, I have started my first full time job, and I have started learning how to golf.  I know golf isn’t a big life difference, but the other two are!  I have learned a lot about life through out the past couple of weeks and I would like to share what I have learned.  First, I learned that the feelings of success and accomplishment needs to be enjoyed after working hard.  Earning a bachelors degree is hard work ladies. 
Going to school for four years, pushing yourself to stay on top of five different classes taught by five different professors with opposing teaching styles, all while working to help pay bills and trying to have a social life becomes stressful and daunting.  But that moment, that sweet moment when you turn in your very last assignment, finish the last final exam, a sense of relief and excitement wave over you.  Walking at Convocation and hearing your family cheer for you as your name is called and you walk across the stage makes you realize you did it!  You did something extremely hard, and you succeeded.  I have learned that all the hard work in life is worth doing because it makes me feel so happy to know I have accomplished something and that I have learned and grown.  I urge you all to push yourselves to keep gaining an education in any and every field!  The satisfaction is worth the difficulty. 

 

In the past few weeks, I have also started my first full time job.  I am now a People Services Specialist for an Ethics and Compliance company.  After finishing college, one hard task in life, I started a second hard life task, learning a new job.  In this role, I have learned to laugh at my mistakes, and to understand that mistakes are inevitable.  I accidentally transfer phone calls to the wrong department and or people on a daily basis.  I have clocked in and out of work incorrectly and had to sheepishly ask my manager to fix it.  I am bound to make even more little mistakes as I go throughout my first few months at this job, and that is okay.  I used to think that I could not make mistakes.  Mistakes were embarrassing for me and I thought that people would not take me seriously as a working professional if I made mistakes.  At work though, people will email me to let me know what I did wrong and tell me that it is okay!  They also tell me to ask them for help whenever I need or want it.  Everyone is kind and understanding.  People helping me and fixing my mistakes has taught me that mistakes will always happen!  I will never be the perfect worker, but I have a team that is there to help me.  Making mistakes is inevitable, so there is no use in being upset about them all the time!  Today at work, I was able to laugh at a silly mistake I made and laughing helped me stay positive and alert.  This helped me remind myself not to do the same thing a second time.  I think we all need to remember that in work, school, home, and in every relationship we have, we are all bound to make mistakes.  We need to understand that this will happen, and that it’s OKAY!  Be positive and get through the mistakes with a smile!  Learn from your mistakes and laugh at them when the time is right.  

I love life, and I love everything that I have learned in the past few weeks.  Remember that hard work always pays off, and to stay positive through your mistakes!  

I love you all and I hope you keep on shining this week,

Alyssa Kruse