Persevering the Hardships

Duke Ellington claims that “a problem is a chance for you to do your best.”, and I would say I agree with this claim. I think hard situations help us grow as people and learn valuable lessons. Everyone in this world comes upon problems that they need to solve. For a long time, you have people in your life to help you figure out solutions, like parents. In this essay, I won’t be talking about something such as “what outfit do I wear today”? Although this can serve as a problem in someone’s life I want to touch upon more difficult problems.

Getting a job is a major milestone in many teenagers’ life, but finding a job brings new problems into your life, like how to balance school, work, and personal life. All three of which are important. When I first got a job it was great, until I started working like crazy. It was to the point in which I had no time for school work outside of actual school time and I couldn’t see any friends or family. Although I’m only allowed to work 24 hours a week I was working two weeks straight with no days off. This was a huge problem I had to deal with, and this situation helped me grow as a person and learn how to speak up for myself and do my best.

I knew that how much I was working wasn’t okay, and it was putting a lot of mental and physical strain on me so I knew I had to speak to my manager and simply put my foot down on how much I was working. This wasn’t something that would be easy for me, I like to please others and the idea of causing issues for others stresses me out. I talked with my mom and a co-worker I’m close with and told them about my situation, they both helped me work up the courage to have a discussion with my boss while I still did my best with keeping up with school. Eventually, I had a discussion with my boss telling her that how often I’m working is not only illegal but too much, for me to be doing. This was followed by an apology on her end and a much better schedule from then on out.

This only happened maybe a month ago but since this happened and I stood up for myself with my boss I’ve felt a lot happier with work and I’ve been able to balance my schedules out in a way I hadn’t beforehand. I continued to strive to do my best during this time because I was so determined to prove to everyone I could balance everything out. Since this situation, I’ve been able to continue and communicate my problems within work to my boss and she’s always helpful and understanding. I’m still trying to learn how to properly balance school, work, and personal life but I know I’m not the only person who ever has these problems.

This example of a problem I had to deal with not too long ago is one of the main reasons I agree with Ellington’s statement that “a problem is a chance for you to do your best.” because I personally can relate to it. I think it’s very easy to become overwhelmed when problems occur in life, but I also think it’s good to remember that you can overcome these situations and grow from them. Becoming a better you sometimes includes not always being the best and learning from your past mistakes and situations.

“Do Your Best!” by minnepixel is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0