Being a Pro.

Being a Pro.

Professional is a title that is ‘bestowed’ to me by someone else, not something I give myself. For that to happen, you need to be exposed to doing your best.

However, doing your best is only possible when self-respect is a prerequisite. You must seek self-respect yourself, and in the process, gain the respect and trust of others. Today was a day to think about what being a professional is.

I decided to take a break from my child's swimming lessons and requested a withdrawal. I first informed them about withdrawal by email, but I received a phone call contrary to my expectations. I had wanted to get back a mail as forwarding for proof. And they answered that everything was resolved. It's been very smooth up to this point. I remembered, "It's all set!"

However, the next month, opposite to our promise, I found out that one month's tuition fee had been deducted from my bank account. When I went to the swimming school and told them about this, they told me it was because I didn't use the Withdrawal form. I wish I had known this in advance, but I decided that mistakes can happen in common daily work, so I gave up my a month tuition. Then I filled out the form and returned home. And up to this point, it was a story that probably anyone could understand.

However, I later found out that the money had gone out to my bank account again. I informed them of this fact by email, but Staff repeatedly told me that I would have to go again for another month. They say they will not refund the money, but will give it as credit. At that moment, I encountered a situation where I was confused as to who was at fault. Still, I told her that I would be patient and take a copy of the completed form with me. The school had already told me several times that they would not be able to give me a refund before even seeing my form.

And I took the form with me today, but they told me very firmly that they couldn't give me a refund because I was still an active member. Whose fault is it?

I didn't do anything wrong and just wanted to take a break from my child's swimming lessons for three months due to my schedules, but I got a completely unexpected reaction. It seemed like they probably didn't want me to be a customer anymore.

At that moment, I explained it step by step, showed the evidence, and eventually received a refund. And naturally, I canceled the service and left. This story happened because of their unprofessional manner.

First, they should have told the customer in advance that withdraw had to be written in person. And after writing it, they had to keep their promise. It was like a scam, and I almost lost two months' worth of tuition without even being able to use the service.

Through this anecdote, I learned a valuable lesson that I should do my best as a professional. In order to become a professional, I discovered that it is important to stand on the other side of what I do.

It's the same as an artist. I think I should also do my best from the perspective of the person who buys my paintings and the student who receives my education. This was a valuable experience for me.
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Everyone makes mistakes. So we communicate with each other, find compromised, and try not to make mistakes again. Because not everyone is perfect, you just have to acknowledge yourself and keep improving. That is the attitude of a professional. However, if you do not admit your shortcomings and do not try to improve, you cannot be called a professional.

While working as an artist, an art educator, and sometimes a children's book author, I encounter my own shortcomings every day. And you discover that being a professional is something that respects, cherishes, acknowledges, and develops yourself more. It was a day that made me realize once again that being a professional is not about grandiose trophies or name tags, but about attitude of mind.