By: Lina Zhao
After graduating from UT Austin, I started my first engineering job at Turner Construction with the highest hopes. I would not accept anything less than exceptional performance and I was ready to blow all my supervisors’ expectations out of the water. Although this ambitious mindset may have been somewhat successful, I had created a toxic relationship between success and myself. If I did not reach a certain deadline, I would beat myself up about it. If I didn’t learn as quickly as I wanted, I would feel disappointed in myself. All of these internal criticisms deteriorated my mental state. Instead of fearing failure and dwelling on all the mistakes I made, I received some advice to be kinder to myself. I would never speak to a friend in that way, so why should I treat myself so poorly? I can’t say I’m 100% ‘fixed’ now that I embrace mistakes in a healthier manner, but I definitely don’t spiral every time I do something wrong at work. If you can relate to this message, here is a gentle reminder to be more patient with yourself.
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