My First Job
As a young ice skater, I had flown pretty high, pretty quickly. My partner and I won the Canadian junior pairs championship1 when I was 14 and I was thrilled, as a 16-year-old, to be picked to skate in the 1994 Olympics in Albertville, France. But then everything came crashing down.
We finished 12th at the Games. I soon quit doubles skating and tried to continue in singles. But I wasn't good enough I didn't even compete in the next two national championships. I felt like I was a somebody who had become a nobody.
I was 18 and had just graduated from high school when my mom told me: \"You can't just count on skating to make a living. You'd better find a job.\" I knew she was right. But what could I do? I waited tables, cleaned, stocked the shop, took inventory2; I did everything. In fact, I worked so hard that I never got the chance to even have a break or get off my feet for entire shifts3. No one cared that I had been an Olympic skater; I was judged only by how hard I worked. It was exactly what I needed.
That job taught me to so many things. I learned, for example, how to deal with people. As an athlete, I'd lived in something of a cocoon4 growing up, so this was new to me. One day a man loudly called me over to his table and, with a scowl5 on his face, complained: \"This milk is sour. I'm not drinking this junk! I want my money back!\" It was near the end of my shift and I was tempted to tell him how rude I thought he was. But I had learned that \"the customer is always right\" and a smile can go a long way.
\"I'm really sorry, sir -- I'll get you a free cup.\" I said with a wide grin6. When I brought him his coffee his whole disposition had changed. And he left me a tip!
My first job taught me that it is important to do the best at anything you try, in school, at work or sport. I knew nothing about being a waitress when I started my job but by the time I left -- when I decided to return to skating and to team with Alex -- I had earned a raise and my boss's praise. The meant so much to me.
作為一位年輕的溜冰運動員,我相當迅速地取得了巨大的成功。我和我的搭檔贏得了加拿大中學生雙人滑冰的冠軍,當我14歲,我興奮不已。16歲那年,我被選中參加1992年在法國阿爾貝維爾舉行的奧運會。但是從那以后,我遭遇了滑鐵盧。
我們完成了第12場比賽。我很快放棄了雙人滑,試圖轉向單人滑。但是我不夠出色以至于我甚至不能參加下兩屆錦標賽的角逐。感覺就好像我從一個了不起的人物變成為了無名小卒。
18歲那年我高中畢業,媽媽對我說:“你不能只靠滑冰來謀生。你最好找一份工作。”我知道她是正確的。但是我能做什么呢?我整理桌子,洗盤子,為商店整理庫存,列清單;我什么都做。實際上,我如此努力地工作但我卻從未曾得到機會,取得任何進展或者擺脫全天上班。沒人在乎我曾是奧運會溜冰運動員;人們根據我工作努力的程度對我做出判斷。然而這正是我所需要的。
這份工作教會了我很多事。例如,我學會了如何與人打交道。作為一名運動員,我仿佛在一個繭里面長大,因此這對我來說是新奇的。一天一個人大聲地把我叫到他的桌子跟前,滿臉怒氣地抱怨道:“這牛奶酸了。我不喝這種垃圾!給我退錢!”我馬上就要下班了,我真想告訴他他自己有多么粗魯。但是我知道“顧客永遠是對的”,微笑才能解決問題。
“真的很抱歉,先生——我免費給你換一杯。”我咧著嘴笑著說。當我把咖啡端到他面前的時候,他的態度全變了。并且還給了我小費!
我的第一份工作教給我最重要的是要竭盡全力做到最好,不論是在學校、工作或體育方面。當我開始工作時,我對做女招待一無所知,但當我離開——我決定重返冰場與艾力克斯再次合作的時候——我已經得到一次加薪和老板的稱贊。這對我非常重要。
注釋
①championship n.擁護;奮斗;錦標賽
②inventory n.詳細目錄,存貨清單
③shift v.轉移;轉變n.轉換,轉變;輪班
④cocoon n.蠶
⑤scowl vi.(at)生氣地皺眉,沉下臉,怒視n.怒容
⑥grin vin.咧嘴笑