Five lessons from five years of work
Time flew by so fast! I celebrated my fifth work anniversary in TaskUs a month ago. Even in my five years, it’s still a continuous learning experience! But among countless lessons, here are five things I learned in my five years of work:
1. Feedback is essential to growth: A lot of people think of feedback as an attack. But when we look at it as a way for self-improvement, we can respond positively towards it. Admitting that we are wrong, that there is still space for improvement, or even that we need help takes a lot of humility. I try to constantly introspect and evaluate if there is something I could have done better. This way, I am more open to receive feedback.
2. Progress rather than perfection: My mindset when I was younger was to do it well or not do it at all. A tiny bit of failure made me give up. What is the point of doing something when it is not the best? But as I moved from one position to another, I understood that I needed to fail to learn. We need to try things and start at zero! It's totally okay not to be the best at something on the get-go. Trust that you will get there, eventually.
3. Think only about today: I usually overwhelm myself with monthly targets and tasks, both at work and in my personal life. When it gets too much, a mantra that kept me going was this: You just need to get through the day. Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. Putting one foot in front of the other instead of getting overwhelmed with taking leaps and bounds made me feel more grounded. Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!
4. Resting is a skill: RM, the leader of BTS, admitted during their reality/vacation show that it is hard to switch off. He also said resting requires training, and I could not agree more! Being a serial procrastinator, who fills my non-work hours with finishing tasks, I feel paralyzed when there is a lull in my day. I realized how unhealthy this was, so I got help during my psych sessions. Now, I am learning how to balance resting without letting time pass by meaninglessly. It leads me to my fifth and most important realization.
5. My work is not my worth: While I love my job, I do not want to be defined by it. During this pandemic, I started organizing my thoughts to figure out who I am besides my work. I started and restarted hobbies, volunteered when I can, and even participated in a youth fellowship program. I am glad that I am slowly doing more beyond work. I'm excited to check off all the things I wanted to do from my list.
I am always grateful for the opportunity to work with TaskUs (and our clients!). It is a privilege to have work and also be able to work from home during this pandemic. I’m definitely looking forward to growing, improving, and contributing more this year. And the other lessons I learned? Maybe I’ll write that down for my sixth year!
