Standing Up for My Self
Monday, February 27, 2012
I am currently up at 2:21am,
I just found this new blog site available from SCAD. Adding a blog is what I intended to do since the beginning, although I never did. Therefore, I will trace back all my main moments at SCAD and post about them on here one by one.
This will be my journey through a new experience in my family history and therefore I look forward to posting my upcoming projects, experiences, challenges, and thoughts.
Beginning with the reason that I am here tonight sitting on the computer at 2am due to this new job I got.
I was required to work all day yesterday Sunday.I had a submission to post that was due at 11:59 that I had not begun.
I literally woke up > went to eat breakfast > read for part of my submission information > left for work > got on break > read some more for Art History > Left for work…
Now in the transgression of all this, this week has been a busy and life learning week. First of all projects consumed most of the time available to focus on my Art History Paper. In addition at work my boss kept telling me to stand up for my self in my position as a Host. I’ve never had to say “let me do my job, you do yours” instead I let my self get trampled on because I would feel bad saying no. So at work, I began to tell people to stay out of my position because the waiters are always around the host stand seating and messing with the seating arrangements that I’m responsible for, but telling them to move isn’t something I would normally do… but even then I went ahead and spoke up, It proved to be successful because now I’m working quicker and more attentively with out someone else stressing and involving themselves around the host stand.
As the week progressed, I faced this mental block that stressed me out to the point of crying. I called my best friend Erin Wilson, whom I explained my situation.
I am a full time student at SCAD taking an Extra class. Student ambassador, SCAD Connector Assistant Photography Editor, Relay for Life ATL Advertising Chair, and now working 25 hours a week. It got to the point where reality had finally set in.
As Erin mentioned, in High School you can miss yearbook deadlines, miss a track practice, or be late to class, and the worst that would happen would be either to submit the yearbook pages a day late, run more at the next track practice, or get lunch detention.Therefore to some extent your were allowed to “BS” certain things to get them out of your way.
In reality, I cant afford to “BS” any of my school work at SCAD. Thousands of dollars are being paid, scholarships are to be kept, and getting to work late can result in not having a source to pay for what I can already barely afford. Therefore, managing and doing many things at once but also doing them WELL is a new thing to me that has happened and wasn’t able to fix my self.
Erin helped me understand that I don’t need to know what to do, and this is what life teaches us as we go. This lesson is to say NO. To say no to the things that you think you can do. To the things you think you can manage. To the things that you wish you could be a part of and to the things you think you must, but don’t have to do. Saying no is part of standing up for your self. Asserting your priorities and developing a mentality to realize what your priorites are.
Something I don’t comfortably do. Due to fear of getting reprimanded or loosing out on an opportunity.
But my proprieties are excelling as a student at SCAD and working in order to pay for that fulfillment.
Therefore today, I stood up to my Manager ; thanks to my friend Erin Wilson
I said:
“I appreciate the flexibility that you offer me coming to work and I appreciate your decision to have me as an employee, but coming on Sundays has gotten too hectic for me. I can not be going to bed late, waking up early to work on homework, go to work sleep- deprived, attempt to write a submission during break, go back to work, and finish my submission ten minutes before the deadline. I need Sundays off. If that can’t work for you I understand, and I’m sorry for not understanding my limits but this is something new for me. I hope you understand.”
This is a big milestone for me!
I expected a smart remark asking why I took the job in the first place. I’ve never had to stand up for something I needed to back down from. So that I could step up for something I valued more – my education.I was nervous, scared, and could not look at him in the eye.
His response:
“I understand. I appreciate you standing up for your proprieties. I value that your appreciate your education and I’m glad you’re progressing. You can’t get too stressed and lack in your studies.”
….
I don’t work on Sundays anymore.
