When I came over to Australia to start work in the mining industry I had three years experience as a qualified tradesman under my belt. I was confident in my ability and expected to hit the ground running but nothing could be further from the truth. My first day hit me hard as I realised that this was seriously over my head.

The environment was different as I expected. I was well aware that it would be hot, but nothing prepares you for ambient temperatures close to fifty degrees celsius. Then in addition, fairly often I would need to be inside the engine bay of a running machine. I couldn't tell you how hot it was in there but I could compare it to being cooked alive in an oven. The machines were massive. 10X bigger than what I had ever seen or worked on and truth be told, I had no clue what I was doing.

I sucked! I felt intimidated and stupid. I honestly did not think I was going to make it through the first two weeks. But my back was against the wall. I had 'burned my ships' and there was no turning back. I had spent hundreds of hours over a period of a year in preparation, sold many possessions and uprooted my family for this job so I had but only one choice:
Forward. I needed to learn and I needed to learn quick. So I pulled myself together and immediately applied the following principles:

Work harder than everyone else

I didn't do anything superhuman. I just used the full time available to work. I reduced my breaks, moved quicker, applied full effort to every task and avoided as much mundane talk as possible. You see when you gauge the effort of those around you and step it up just a notch, you move to a new level. You separate yourself from the 80% who 'float' through their day and are happy with a mediocre result. Also you then join the 20% who are playing on this higher level and that it where you want to spend your time because that is where you will grow and learn. These 20% are driven to push themselves harder every day and that in turn will motivate and propel you forward.

Help others

I needed help and I needed mentors quickly to help me learn. People there were genuinely helpful in most cases but good relationships cannot be sustained if only one person is doing all the giving. So I started helping. I would help with mediocre tasks that required work but minimal knowledge. I would go and help guys clean up their areas even if I hadn't worked there. I would move things back into place and pack tools away for people. This earned me respect and also built up 'credits' so that when I needed help, I could ask for it. Just in helping, it also gave me the opportunity to watch what they were doing. Never pass down the opportunity to help someone. Not only is it just the right thing to do, but also you'll be surprised at what doors may open for you.

Ask questions

I knew I was inexperienced but I didn't want everyone else to know that. I was too proud. In the beginning, even if I had no clue what they wanted me to do, I would just nod my head. Then once they left, panic in a frenzy to try figure it out. I soon realised this was bad practice. I made many mistakes which may have been avoided if I had just asked some more questions. It was a genuine fear for me, but I overcame it quickly and this not only reduced the amount of mistakes I was making but also built up a respect between myself and my superiors. Although we've all probably had some snotty nose kid laugh at us in class when we asked a 'dumb' question, the reality is that it shows the person you ask that you're listening.

Don't be afraid to fail

My grandfather used to say "One time fool, he no fool. Second time fool, he big damn fool." What he was saying is that failing at some thing is not bad provided you learn from it. I decided that I would try everything that was set before me without fear of failure. I made a stack of mistakes but I also learned at a rapid pace. My winnings soon outweighed my failures and by putting myself consistently in challenging situations I chose the rate of my personal growth. Never be afraid of failure. This is where the most valuable of life's lessons are learnt.

In conclusion

Whatever challenging situation you find yourself in, know that you have control over it in the way of your exerted effort. It will not be easy, it will push you to past boundaries you never thought you would cross, but in those hardships you will find new strengths. Strengths you never knew existed within yourself. You will be triumphant and you will suck no more.

Photo 1 by jesse orrico on Unsplash
Photo 2 by Rémi Walle on Unsplash
Photo 3 by Emily Morter on Unsplash
Photo 4 by Nicolas Cool on Unsplash