2024: Year in Review & What The Year Taught Me

 

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(I'm late to the party, but here is my take on last year...)

2024 was the year I slowed down and took everything in my stride; faster didn't mean better, but in most cases, after 6 years in the food court, I realised that by taking my time and not rushing, I was yielding positive results. At 43, I stopped running and rushing around to get things done & focused on the quality of my work instead of quantity & how quickly I was able to do something. 

But amid all of this, there have been personnel changes, and the whole atmosphere has been different. For the first time, I questioned my future at Costco.

I didn't need to wait for the other person's apology, or for them to change. I was duly responsible for my feelings and my healing, and as their behaviours continued to unravel in front of my eyes, this time around I wasn't going to let other people's actions and emotions overwhelm me and take control of me. 

In some measure, I think that 2024, whilst it might not have been my best year at Costco, comes in second place to 2021; I did make a lot of strides in my work and have gone that extra mile than I have ever done before, and my overall well-being has been positive and good. There were still plenty of reasons to smile. 

Feeling comfortable within my skin, feeling confident and assured going about the work with less fuss and supervision and demonstrating what I can accomplish and do. It has been a busy and eventful year filled with challenges. Again I became proactive and got more and more involved with the work and the tasks: serving members, taking things out of the freezers and chillers, being more hands-on & saying less - although that didn't mean I was a hermit or shying away, rather I was very, very preoccupied with the work but I took my time doing it. 

There has been growth within myself, and I've seen growth in others; I noticed it in many people. For a long time I used to think that a lot of people were incapable of change & would refuse to change their ways for the better, but alas I was wrong and it was heartening to see the little steps they were taking because it meant I didn't give up on them, and that they didn't give up on themselves. 

It is important to celebrate the little wins and moments and, by going forward, use them as stepping stones towards our path of progress and personal fulfilment. Because those moments, whilst they may seem small, hold some significance in one way or another. 

Up to Sept 2023 of last year, from 2022, I was stuck in limbo by doing the same things day in and day out and not moving forward as an employee & going where I wanted to be. Alas, being able to serve the members in person was the kickstart I needed to motivate me to do better and to work smarter, as well as harder. 

After several years of personal disappointment and unhappiness with expecting people to turn out the way I wanted them to be or in becoming the healer, the fixer for him/her - only to end up being hurt, I just put my feelings aside and let them be who they were and reveal themselves to me without reacting. It reminded me that my self-worth isn't through gaining acceptance and approval and that I am doing enough to get by, and enough was as good as it could get. 

For the first time I managed to say 'no' and turn down invites because I want to a) preserve my time and energy for the things and people that matter and b) it is a way of setting a boundary without offending the other person/s. 

That, and mentally, and emotionally I wasn't in the right frame of mind to attend. 

To date, I would rank the following in terms of years in order of the very best or favourite to the sheer worst: 

1) 2021* - I just enjoyed being out of the food court for once and expanding my horizons when it came to work
2) 2024* - Last year, despite one, or two minor hiccups most of the time I enjoyed working and serving members and doing other tasks and keeping me occupied. I felt like I stepped it up on more than one occasion 
3) 2023
4) 2018
5) 2020 - COVID 
6) 2022 - a tough time for me for many reasons
7) 2019 - I've detailed in my post why it was so incredibly bad, and it is still my most hated year I digress 

2024 might just eclipse 2023 as my second-best year at Costco because, work-wise, it was a huge step up from the previous year and I feel I have come a long, long way since 2018, and those little things I accomplished were some things I could not even begin to imagine were doable or possible. 

Mentally and emotionally, I was like strong enough to say ''f**k what other people think and say about me''. I used the 'let them' theory, now perfected by Mel Robbins, to let people be who they want to be, and I get to decide if they are worth my time and attention. I am not going to give my power away, I will separate my moods from his/hers comments and remarks and behaviours. I still don't get upset over people who made little digs at me. I live my life for me, not them. 

I have noticed that the majority of the members are worse when they are being served at the counter, compared to when they are eating in the dining hall of the food court. Simply based on how they act and come across in person, coming across as entitled and looking down on us as if we are beneath them. One time I got irritated that a member kept coming up to check to see if the soft serve ice cream was in the right consistency. This happened three times, and then she made a catty remark saying 'I ought to smile more'. And kiss your arse too? I'm like 'f*** off'. 

Sometimes you need to stand up for yourself and not allow people to make you feel like you cannot do your job properly and make you look foolish and put them in their place. But at the same time there needs to be restraint and you not lowering your standards, because many people simply do not care and won't care. 

Because a) they do not understand our lives, our world working in service jobs and b) they are determined to get us fired. 

I do not make New Year's resolutions or set goals for the upcoming year. I just let things be and take each step as it comes and decide what I should do next. 

I have conceded that no matter what happens, for as long as I remain at the company, I will never get a promotion or move up. I will stay at Costco for (at most or least) 2 or 3 years until I decide to quit when I have found something else. Six years is a long time to be based in one department, but gradually, I have seen the progress I have made myself, and when it came to growth, it has been mammoth and all despite the staff turnover, despite challenges incurred at department level, & despite some people not being on the same wavelength as each other.

Sometimes, or most of the time it is down to us individually to take necessary steps for things to happen. Real change, real growth and real progress do not occur miraculously out of thin air; rather it takes time, perseverance and self-belief to make it possible. 

If we want something to happen, we need to make it happen ourselves. 

Outside of work, because of the gruelling nature of it and my scheduling, I wasn't able to make time to watch a lot of films, and having a growing disinterest in the current cinema landscape didn't help matters, but oh well. 

I've been at Costco for a long time for me to say that I can leave with my head held high and having accomplished the things I wanted when the time is right for me to move on. I have accepted that nothing will change when it comes to job positions at the company. And if there are no opportunities available, then I will find them elsewhere. 

I get annual bonus checks from onwards, I'll keep ploughing on until I decide I want to do something else. I don't have anything to lose.

Nothing in life is permanent, - and there is nothing more frustrating, boring, and wasteful than staying stuck where you don't belong and/or you feel like you're not heading in the direction where you want to go. Because that is not progress - it's stagnation and a cycle that repeats itself over and over. 

In 2025, I do want to make time for the things that matter in my life by 1) spending a bit more time with my loved ones, 2) resting and reserving my energy, not feeling overworked to death by taking more days off, 3) continuing putting myself first by saying "no" to such requests and demands and prioritising myself. Likewise, Christmas 2024 and New Year 2025 were the first times in 6 years when, for once, I spent it with my family at home & that I could rest & relax throughout that period.

I realise my colleagues rely on me a lot; however, there comes a point where I need to set boundaries and that I do have limits with everything, as well as with everyone. I had a few bad days at work, but I got over them and moved on and carried on as usual, not letting it affect me too much. 

Costco is regarded by many employees as having some of the best PTO (paid time off) one would find at retail level (20-22 days annual leave per se) and the food court is still the most challenging, demanding and at times most pressing environment to work in because 1) standards are set so high, that 2) we are having to work with fewer resources, likewise staff, at our disposal and one is prone to facing scrutiny if these standards are not met. 

Besides work, I did travel with my sister to Japan back in late October (Tokyo and Osaka) for the first time, and we enjoyed ourselves despite the fact we had very little understanding of Japanese. We had a great time (ate, shopped, walked the streets and explored what it had to offer) and the Japanese culture was fun, enjoyable, and cool to experience. That and getting my £3K bonus after 6 years were my favourite takeaways from 2024. 

So yeah ultimately, it ruled. 

Waiching

Highs +

- Going to Japan for the first time 

- The member compliments 

- Being able to control my emotions 

- Continuing to do my best at work 

- Getting my bonus cheque after 6 years at Costco

- Euro 2024 football and Paris Olympics 


Lows -

- When I returned from Japan early Nov life felt a little odd to me

- Dealing with rude members but that is part and parcel of the job 

- The month of August 

- UK & U.S politics were highly contentious affairs