I was always a shy person. I hated talking to people. I couldn’t order my own food, speak up when I needed to, and I’ve always stuck close to my mom because if I’m too scared to do something, she’d end up doing it for me. I was afraid that people would think I’m weird. However, that all changed pretty recently.

In October, I was able to score my first job. It’s not a “real” job but, it was my first time in a working environment. I work as a cashier. I thought this job would be impossible. Maneuvering the cash register isn’t hard, I mean talking to people. I was scared that I would say something awkward or mess up, I didn’t want people to think that I was weird. I was wrong. After working for about a week, I realized people didn’t care about me, they just cared about getting what they’re paying for. Once I realized that, I was able to work just fine. I was able to speak to people without fear and most importantly, without relying on anyone else.

I applied what I learned at work to real life. Do people really care about if I mess up a sentence or two? Or if I seem weird? Most people are just trying to get their shift over with and go home just like I am when I’m at work. So, I stopped overthinking it. Once I stopped overthinking it, it was much easier to communicate with people. I didn’t have to rely on anyone to order food for me, to make my appointments, or anything. It felt so nice knowing that I’ve changed.