First Day Basics

I am very nervous to start my new job on Monday. I feel like I did on the first day of seventh grade. I moved to a new school and did not know anyone. I felt lost and out of place. Monday will be a new beginning, a chance to meet new people, a chance to become more of the person that I want to be.

On Monday, I want to allow myself to be a beginner. I want to give myself the opportunity to learn the basics, rather than expecting myself to make an impact on day one. Throughout my life I have set high expectations for myself and pressured myself to perform triple pirouettes, rather than learning how to plie.

When I was a freshman in college, I took a beginning modern dance class for fun. I found the class boring at times because the teacher focused on the basics, like how to point your toes, how to plie, and how to rise on your toes. I wanted to perform complicated turns, leaps, and jumps, rather than walk in triple steps across the floor. However, while these basic exercises seemed too easy, they made me a much better dancer.

When I returned home for the winter break, I retreated to my basement and put on my dancing shoes again. I was amazed to see that I could now easily perform five or six pirouettes at a time, when I found triple turns to be a challenge while in high school. The basic, simple exercises that my teacher stressed in my modern dance class helped me learn how to use my core muscles to control my body during more complicated dance steps. The basics improved my performance.

The lesson that I want to take with me as I start my new job on Monday is to be open to learning the simple basic lessons, such as who are the customers that I will support and what do they need. For the first time in my life, I want to lower my expectations for performing and to focus on going with the flow of the job. I believe if I allow myself to learn the basics, the performance will come and the job will turn into something amazing.

On my first day of work, I expect to feel lost, but I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be at this time. Clarity will come when I stay open to the possibilities and to learn.