successes : My Recent Highs and Lows to Date

When I began this blog, I had really wanted to share with the world not only my successes and victories but my defeats, disappointments, struggles, and failures. Well, today I am excited to share with you that I have had a lot more of the latter than the former in the past two weeks. The reason I am so excited is that I can show people that I am true to my word. Here is my account of the past two weeks, in chronological order:

3/28: I decided to apply for a promotional position at my job. Over the past year, I have been improving rapidly and learning a bunch in my current role, which had really built up my confidence. I had found the opening for the role above mine, which would be great for me to have. I know I have the skills and experience necessary for the new role, so I applied.

3/29: I got a call back from the recruiter at my company, and we began the interview process. I found out that the role is actually in Lincolnshire, IL but I would have the option to work virtually if need be. Unfortunately, preference would be given to those in Lincolnshire. It makes sense, but I was still hopeful. The possibility of working from home everyday? Sweet.

3/30: In my financial accounting class, we have 3 tests that comprise our grade. I got an 87 on the first one, which was not bad, but I thought I could do better. For the next test (on 3/30) I studied pretty hard, made flash cards, attended my weekly study sessions, and went into the test thinking I was ready. I walked out thinking quite the opposite. During the test, my mind just blanked out. I forgot most of the formulas, and as a result had to skip parts of the test that had a huge impact on my final grade. However, I felt that I couldn’t have scored below a 70 and I could still walk out of there with a high B/low A if I did score in the 80s and did well on my final test.

3/31: My girlfriend and I were heading to church for band practice. That day I wasn’t particularly feeling well, so I had let her drive my car. Unfortunately, in the parking lot she backed into another car, dealing a couple of scratches to the other car and a nice dent to my bumper. Fortunately, it wasn’t a big enough impact to cause serious damage, and we didn’t have to get insurance involved (thank God!). I decided to count my blessings and move on.

4/1: I had my second interview, and I really knocked it out of the park. Although I felt that I did well enough to obtain the position, I still had a couple of reservations about actually getting the role. The role typically called for more hours, a larger amount of responsibility, and a move to a different platform. I was primarily worried about the transition from my current role to the new one (especially with taking classes). Working from home may make the adjustment harder because my other peers would be states away from my location. However, I left the decision up to God and began to put the worries out of my mind.

4/6: I walked into my accounting class dreading the fact that we would get our tests results back. I was more nervous going into class that day than the day I took the test! As it turned out, I had every reason to be. I got a 66, lower than my worst-case scenario! Talk about disappointment. I can’t even remember the last time I failed a test. The best I could get in the class now was an 84! I really had to think positively to make myself feel better. I realized I would have to will my way into getting this 100; there was no other option. I then felt very empowered and motivated to make the grade I needed to get. Again, failure was NOT an option.

4/7: I got my reviews back for my yearly performance evaluation at work. It was almost nothing but good feedback! Barring a couple of improvement items (which were to be expected), I was doing fantastic in my current role. What really stood out was one peer’s feedback: “I believe Andrew is ready for the next role.” Oh yeah, I got that promotion in the bag. Praise God!

4/8: I got a call from the recruiter today about the results of the interview. I didn’t get the promotion! They said that although my skills were preferable, the transition to the new role and to the new platform would be tough and they thought I would be better suited for a more local role. I understood their logic (which confirmed my initial reservations) but it didn’t make the pill any easier to swallow. What a bummer! But at least I do know I have what it takes to make it to the next role and the next opportunity is mine!

Needless to say, it has been a rough two weeks. For now, I will have to lean on the good things the two weeks had to offer. One of the things I can reflect on is that I know in my heart that disappointments will come and failures will happen. Sometimes all at once, sometimes spread out over time, but they will happen. Of course in reality they are ultimately beneficial, and will actually help me develop integrity and such. But like a child faced with veggies at the dinner table, even though I know they’re good for me I would much rather be eating cake and ice cream!