| Quote by Ferdinand Foch |
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Famous Last Words Week 3
So many things are running through my mind right now. I'm so sleepy. I need to study. My exam is on Monday. I have work in the morning. I have to finish my molecular lab report. I need to read for colloquium. I forget to deposit my check. I need to finish that scholarship. Med school interviews are approaching. Did I remember to put air in my tires? The list just goes on and on. One of the things I am currently struggling with is handling the pressure at work. I just finished training as a pharm tech and the job comes with a steep learning curve. Learning how to work a completely new system is one thing, but learning how to adapt to patients' cranky moods and accusations are another. Yesterday was one of the roughest days at work. My coworkers and I were trying our best to please every patient, but there was only so much that we could do. We had patients yell profanities at us at the top of their lungs. It was quite the scene. I left work feeling defeated. I dreaded coming into work this morning, and my senior tech noticed my melancholic mood. He heard about last night's catastrophe... Well everyone did. I never thought that I would get out of my blue funk, but he really did make me feel better. He told me that the greatest challenge in life is to maintain happiness when the world around me exposes its ugly side. I still remember what he said to me to brighten my day, "Have you ever heard sharpen by fire? That's what you did last night. You were thrown in the fire and came out stronger and smarter." It made me realize that challenges are what mold me into the person that I am today. I will never learn unless I challenge myself. This experience reminds me of the growth mindset concept. I didn't fail that night. I just wasn't quite there yet.
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What a great metaphor, Nicole: sharpen by fire. I'll admit it is not my favorite way to learn (I prefer to have fun while learning...!), but if you are in the fire, that is definitely the time to get sharp and stay sharp. I think even Sita knew that!
ReplyDeleteAnd if you can learn to cope with patients, oh, that skill is going to serve you well in every aspect of your life. Teaching is such a roller coaster that way too: some days it feels like everything is going great, students are happy, that makes me happy, when I'm happy I am a better teacher, and it's all good. But other days, well, I might be distracted, you guys might be distracted, and then we all feel cranky or sad or even angry. Luckily, though, the Internet is full of delights to keep us happy (well, to keep me happy anyway), and I am always — ALWAYS — optimistic for tomorrow even after days like the ones you described. I just hope for a fun tomorrow. More fun, less fire... tomorrow! :-)