Do you really like your job?

[Ginevive]

I am about to head off to work, and I just feel this yucky feeling (nervousness?) I started this job a few months ago (I am in collections) and it is GREAT money, but every day I get this nervousness that I will screw sumthin up, say the wrong thing to a debtor and either get fired or just feel embarassed in front of my bosses. I am doing OK but not really making my goals, but I need this job cuz, well, the pay is excellent. But I am just so sick thinking of the possibility of saying/doing the wrong thing, setting people up in programs, etc. It is a lot of fast thinking and talking when you get someone on the phone, and sometimes I don't feel like I am trained enuogh to do things in every given situation. And try to talk to someone for help... they are all SUPER busy and it is embarassing to ask the same question a million times! I do have a girl I sit by who helps me out, but she can be pretty abrasive sometimes.
Yikes! Any advice? Will it ever get easier or better? I am a pretty shy person, not a loudmouth or a really outgoing person, but I CAN do good at this, it is the weird situations that throw me!
I hate it! But I love the money..

[rabernet]

I totally get where you are coming from, being nervous that you may do something wrong. I've been in my job for 3 years now, and I still get nervous sometimes, just because one of my bosses, the expectations change, depending on his mood. One day he'll tell you one thing, another day it's something else.


I do know that I have job security here, and that it would take them a year to get someone up to the speed that I am at. In fact, word got out that I had received an offer to go back to my previous job and I was promptly taken out to lunch for a "Robin Abernethy, Past, Present and Future" meeting and was given a raise and a promotion to stay. They tried to get a commitment from me that I would not entertain other offers, but I told them that any decisions that I made would be for my personal best interest and would be business and not personal. I won't make promises that I can't or won't keep.

For the most part, I enjoy my job, I'm the only one that does my position, so I'm not micro-managed and I decide what needs to be done each day. I do take pride in what I do every day.

[JLC]

I can totally relate to where you're coming from, Ginevive. I've felt that way in many different endevours in my life...some that came with a pay-check and some that did not. And I've found that in every one of those instances, so long as I stuck through it and focussed on doing the best job that I could do at the time, everything turned out fine. It may take time, but you WILL grow in ability and confidence!


I'm now doing volunteer work for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Societ as a mentor for their Team in Training program. It's kinda scarey and I frequently wonder if I'm really up for the task. What if I say something that scares someone away from the program? What if I drop the ball and don't take care of my peeps the way I'm supposed to? I can't get "fired" but the fear of failure is strong, even so. Maybe (in both our cases) it's stronger because we're not just worried about letting ourselves down, but even worse, letting down the people we're supposed to be helping.

So for now, I try not to think about that scarey side too much, and when I do, I try even harder to remind myself why I'm doing it and picture the coming months as I watch my folks grow in their own confidence and abilities and achieve goals they never thought they ever would!

[sirhissball]

I spent my first three years in college as a mechanical engineering major...I liked the math ok, and was excited about the money I could make right out of college. But something was missing, I couldn't see myself doing it and enjoying myself. I switched my major..big time..into the education department. I knew that I liked working with kids, and what more important job is there than a teacher? Here I am now...not making much money at all...absolutely loving every day. I'm excited that i GET to wake up and do what I do. It's a nice feeling....money isn't the most important thing in life.

[frankykeno]

It's tough Gin and I think most of us have faced this fear of failure or disappointing someone whether it's job related, family related, whatever.


You can take that fear though and flip it around emotionally. Look at it from my viewpoint as a parent for example....when I'm unsure and stop and worry if I'm messing it all up I have to remind myself that good parents do this and bad parents never care enough to check themselves or worry if they are messing up.

It's a mark of your committment to be an excellent employee that you self-doubt is what I'm attempting to say. It's your internal monitoring system and it can be your friend and an excellent resource. Use it, don't fear it. If you for instance see it that way and can look at a particular issue at work clearly, then you can determine whether it's just nerves, stress or in fact something lacking in your training that can be addressed with your employer in a positive manner.

I can't imagine an employer who would react poorly to an employee sitting down and honestly saying that they believe they could be an even better employee if a few issues were gone over a bit more.

Also to be honest sometimes we humans just self-doubt and worry over nothing....the old "making a mountain out of a molehill thing". Someone once said to me that fear was False Evidence Appearing Real. A nice bit of wisdom really and something I have to check myself on...is my worry reality based and something that can be dealt with...or just a nameless worry that is likely less of a problem than my fear is leading me to believe.

*Hugs*

~~Jo~~

[JLC]

Wow Jo.....very wise and very well said!

[frankykeno]

Oh and btw, just because I know these "tools" doesn't mean I don't fail horribly, miserably and uncomfortably far too often in accessing them. Sometimes being a responsible adult truly sucks LOL.




~~Jo~~

[frankykeno]

Thanks Judy, that's kind of you to say. Guess there is something nice about being in my 40's and gaining a bit of wisdom from the harder lessons in life (gosh though I do wish the grades would come in, I could find out if I'd passed or failed and life would stop tossing me new and tougher "challenges" )

As I said, I really wish I could always follow my own knowledge all the time. Ask my dear husband how many times he has to deal with my intense worry over this or that! Poor guy LOL, I don't know how he does it! Unfortuantely I'm a bit of a rigid person and hate when life throws a sharp left turn into my nice lovely life plan. I try to remember the words in a country song I heard recently..."If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plan" LOL


~~Jo~~

[ziggy7]

Thanks Judy, that's kind of you to say. Guess there is something nice about being in my 40's and gaining a bit of wisdom from the harder lessons in life (gosh though I do wish the grades would come in, I could find out if I'd passed or failed and life would stop tossing me new and tougher "challenges" )

As I said, I really wish I could always follow my own knowledge all the time. Ask my dear husband how many times he has to deal with my intense worry over this or that! Poor guy LOL, I don't know how he does it! Unfortuantely I'm a bit of a rigid person and hate when life throws a sharp left turn into my nice lovely life plan. I try to remember the words in a country song I heard recently..."If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plan" LOL


~~Jo~~

I think men have a way of rolling w/the punches much better than women....I've learned the hard way that I can worry til the cows come home...make myself sick about it and everything I've worried about never comes to pass!!! It's crazy!

And I understand the whole work nervous thing.....just remember you are doing the best job you can and at the end of the day...feel good about that....and that will show in your work and how your employer and coworkers see you....a confident woman!

Hang in there!

[Jeanne]

In my life, I have many "jobs"... I dont like any of them, in fact....... I LOVE THEM!

I am a "Housecare Professional" as I like to call stay at home Moms, our job has many discriptions and the pay is always rather poor... but ofcourse, how can you put a "cost or pay rate" to someone who has this job..you cant... so it all depends on how you look at it as far as if it is rewarding enough for you.... reward enough for me is knowing that each meal I cook nourishes my family, knowing that we all live in a very clean home and most importantly, when the kids or the hubby takes the time and says "hey thanks for...", "i love you" or gives me a hug and tells me how important I am to this family. Not just because without me, this house would not run smoothly and they know it..but because they know and recognise my value not just in this family but as a person too.

I am an "In-Home Animal Care Professional" also. This job is one of my favorites because I get the opportunity to care for and interact with such wonderful creatures. It is more of a priveledge (sp) actually. But in any case, there is alot of work involved, but the reward to it is the opportunity to spend time with wonderful creatures that alot of ppl dont get to do.

I also maintain my own business out of my home... I do Medical Records and Coding, I submit claims to insurance companies and such. This gives us extra cash and gives me something more to do of MY OWN.

And last but not least, I help to run this wonderful site.

As you see, I do wear alot of hats in my life, there is always plenty of work needing to be done. I love my "jobs", but it does not mean that there are not certain tasks I must perform for each that on some days I dont like at the moment or dont want to do, or dont feel like doing or someone I dont feel like dealing with at that particular moment (usually a few of my Dr. clients, however,since I have worked in an operating room in the past, I know dr's can be difficult at times and rather anal retentive to the point of being rediculous, so I can take them without feeling personally assaulted/insulted when they get anal on me)... it happens and thats the way it is.... sometimes I second guess my abilities in some of the things I do, I find that it is the second guessing that gets my nerves going and makes me nuts. But it is this same second guessing that keeps me re-evalutating things so I am SURE that I am living to my potential on whatever I am working on. Finding a balance between the second guessing and knowing is very hard, but the easiest way I know how is to ask myself each night before I go to bed "did you do all that was humanly possible in this or that situation?" and the most important one "am I satisfied with all that I have done for today?" As long as I can honestly and truthfully answer myself, with "yes" I know I did well. And there is no sense in allowing myself to feel like crud as long as I put in 100% effort in all I do, even knowing that I may not be able to finish everything in one day...

You too should not let second guessing bite like that, it only serves to bring down your confidence. In this day, confidence is very important, and if you exude confidence and the willingness to learn even more to make yourself an important part of the team to those around you and your employer you will do just fine!