“I don’t know anyone better than they know themselves and nobody knows me better than I know myself."

If there is one thing out of life I commend myself for, (aside from being fabulous) it’s my hard work ethic. And quite frankly, that is a quality that most young adults lack. There used to be something in me that used to tell me to “just keep pushing” because there is something better out there for me.

I work at a McDonalds in Englishtown and I have for about 2 years now. The faces I get from people when they hear that I am a 19-year-old working at McDonalds are priceless. Apparently I should be doing “bigger and better” things. Yes, because paying off tuition debt, working 40 hours a week is what I do for the fun of it.

Before McDonalds, I had a few jobs here and there but nothing really stuck by me and let me realize how truly hard working I really am. My motto stands “We get paid to do our job.” The reputation I built over time was a great one. All of the managers there liked me because I was good at my job, but I never recognized it. I was simply just “doing the job I was paid to do.”

This job, then, became something I enjoyed and it was less aggravating rather considerably grand. The respect I received out of the managers and coworkers made me feel all kinds of virtuous; like there is a reason I am working all these hours and staying late. It became more than just “paying off my tuition”.

I was promoted to Crew Trainer, but was promised management and it certainly aggravated me for a while but I knew everything comes with time. I keep working hard and doing all I can to properly train new crew members to be as good as some of the trainers. I realized that progress was not being made with the promotion to management, but the managers were teaching me how to run shifts properly with hope that the blue shirt will be mine soon. It taught me that no matter what, you need to keep up the hard work because it will get recognized and the respect you receive will be the best feeling, regardless of the delayed promotion.

Even though the promotion is pending and still on its way to being in full-swing, I’ll just continue to work hard and be recognized for that hard work. Setting by example is one of the training qualities of a crew trainer and manager. If you’re working hard getting the store together rather than leaning against the counter and waiting for customers to come in, that will get recognized and with time a promotion is sure to come.

Hard work has always been key in my life. The endless stress and headaches gain some worth when I see the job is done and my mark is made.

My mark on the world will remain. I may not be CEO of the company, but with hard work and drive, it is all possible. That’s why YOU shouldn’t give up on what you strive for. Always work hard because that ethic will never let you down.