Back in high school I was a dual sport athlete. I was never the best at baseball and basketball, but I worked hard and put in 100% of my effort 100% of the time. But one time, that constant effort came back and bit me. In October of 2018 I fully tore my left ACL. It was a devastating injury that ended my sports playing days. After spending that entire Christmas break on the couch recovering, I was faced with a decision. What am I going to do now that I cannot play sports for the rest of high school? It was around September of my senior year, after rehabbing most of the spring and summer, that I decided to get my first job at a Levi Strauss outlet store. I have worked there for four years, and it has taught me many things about life that I could not learn on court or field. I learned to be more patient. Patience is an attribute that I had to learn quickly in retail, and it may just be the most important lesson I have learned. I have come to understand that people sometimes just do not know things and that it is alright and that it is my job to help those people. Nothing is more satisfying than helping someone find the right clothes for them. Another lesson I have learned working in retail is how to make myself likeable to a wide variety of people. Levi’s has a very diverse consumer base and especially where I worked in Southern California, and I had to find ways to connect with different kinds of people in different kinds of ways. This has made me think hard about trying to connect with people and it has enhanced my communication skills and interpersonal skills. I have developed myself through working at a retail location but that would never have happened if I never tore my ACL back in 2018. Life is all about making the most out of your circumstances and that is something I keep in my mind every day.
Comments