Musings on a year and a half at Thrivent, learning how to adult.
As my time at Thrivent came to a close, I had the chance to reflect on this past year and a half in my first post-graduation full-time job.
When I had been at Thrivent about a year, I tried to make a list of all the things I had learned… but it ended up just being a list of things I had failed at spectacularly. So, with all the humility of the Hulk, I decided not to post it.
But I'm older now, and slightly wiser (what a wonder about six months makes). Here goes nothing. Five things I learned in my first job:
1) Whatever the question is, the answer is yes. I can’t tell you how many times I was tasked with things that were out of my comfort zone. From one-off tasks to totally new job descriptions, I said “yes” to figuring out how to do what I’d been asked to do. Yes, I’ll figure it out. Yes, I’ll help with that. Sign me up. I’ll take all the experience I can get.
2) It’s okay to not be instantly successful. This was probably the hardest lesson for me to learn. Surprisingly, I learned that there were things that I wasn’t phenomenal at right away. Weird, right? Whether or not it was because I didn't take a single business class is still to be determined, but for someone who has avoided failure (to a fault) her whole life, it was a new experience. It was important to put in the effort to be better, but I needed to stop getting frustrated every time I found that I still had something to learn. Because I still have so much to learn.
3) The people are what matters. I do think that I did good work – I’m proud of what I accomplished and what I learned. But, the relationships I formed will be the most important thing I will take away from my time at Thrivent. Networking connections, wonderful mentors, and new friends all significantly contributed to my workplace happiness. I am a better person because of my connection with each one of them.
4) Your career is up to you. I’m sure this one seems obvious to some people, but it wasn’t to me. I learned to seek out feedback, find leadership development opportunities, and volunteer for projects that seemed interesting. I’m in charge of my career, so why not act like it?
5) Every step is a step forward. Every new job description is a chance to learn which work I love and which work I’m less excited about. Every challenge is a chance to grow in teamwork and problem-solving skills. Every road block is an opportunity to get creative. Even when steps felt sideways or even backward, it was really an opportunity to be better than before.
Thrivent has been so, so good to me. It was an incredible opportunity to work for a company changing the world for the better, and it was wonderful to be part of it – even just for a short time.
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