Personal Narrative: Developing A Work Ethic

At the beginning of my part-time waitressing position at Isaac’s, I took up more work than I could handle. A Sunday night dinner shift was around the corner, and I was not prepared. Looking back to when I dismissed any forms of constructive criticism or help, I have since realized that accepting advice, taking responsibility, and making changes to my attitude have helped me develop a work ethic where I am more passionate for learning new things. I was still adapting my work environment while also juggling honors and AP school work during my training when my managers instructed me to serve a table on my own for the first time. Furthermore, my newly profound skills at serving have helped a great deal in improving my proficiency at school and everyday life.

On my
My job was to represent the restaurant with great customer service, but instead I expected the customers to treat me in a way that I did not deserve. When my first customers left exclaiming that they would refuse to pay, I knew that I could not keep up this habit. My managers were not happy with my recent performance, and Shannon pulled me aside and passed on some very important straightforward advice: stop apologizing and start learning from my mistakes. I blamed the customers or my coworkers or my managers, but I never believed that I could be at fault. My negative attitude hurt me and the people I interacted with, so I knew I had to change my habits. Realizing my mistake of not taking responsibility and not following through with my own plans, I became determined to improve my communication and problem solving skills. I dedicated myself to working harder. This meant concentrating on my tables, greeting them with a smile, and promising to please the customer. Within a year, I was promoted to a trainer position, received a raise, and was considered by my managers as the best server at