I’m a little surprised with myself in the sense of how many of my recent posts have been inspired by Instagram reels, but surprise aside, we’re going to continue rolling with this creative inspiration. I’ve told you enough that coming up with new and innovative ideas for daily blog posts can become challenging at times, so any opportunity that presents itself in the context of creativity is appreciated.
The reel (for this post I used a Facebook video version of it) in question for today’s post features a young man, probably about 18 to 20 years of age if I had to guess, complaining bitterly about a shift he is in the midst of at his place of work. This guy is borderline hysterical; crying and struggling to speak at times, the reel he uploaded consists of him detailing how he got to this state of emotional turmoil as a result of working an eight-and-a-half-hour shift at Starbucks. He explains how he is truly exhausted, physically and mentally, and I’ll be honest in admitting that I couldn’t even bring myself to view the entirety of the reel.
The worst bit of the entire thing is arguably when the young man explains he hit his breaking point at about three hours in, and how he nearly walked out during his shift.
Are we seriously becoming this soft? The idea of undertaking responsibility and work ethic is one that we are now deeming as cruel, unjust and unattainable?
My father etched one of his many sayings into me throughout my childhood, and it is one that I find myself thinking of more and more as of late – short-term pain for long-term gain. Personally, I think life should be with setbacks and difficulties to an extent because that is a tremendous channel of growth for us to pursue. If we are never challenged, we have no opportunity to learn or humble ourselves; a little discomfort here and there is not something that provokes a reason to lose our shit.
Can customer service be overwhelming and terrible? Absolutely. Do we all have bad days at work where we feel like throwing in the towel? Probably. But that isn’t any reason to behave in the manner of this lad, in my opinion.
ontheedgeofeverything 
