The World's Worst Assistant

by Sona Movsesian

TV was always an escape for me, albeit an escape from nothing.

It was the first but not the last time I would successfully feign understanding in my career. Never ask questions and always pretend like you know what you’re doing.

If someone asks you to do something unreasonable, and especially something that is outside of your job description, it’s okay to say no.

I’m not willing to compromise my emotional or physical well-being to get ahead.

Is it possible this advice will get you fired? Unfortunately, yes. In an industry where bosses feel entitled to terrorize those who work for them, some won’t take kindly to your refusal to eat shit. But is the mistreatment worth it? How much of your self-worth are you willing to give up in order to appease someone? What I’m saying is: you do not have to be the back of the centipede. You can be the part of the centipede that breaks free. You can eat whatever you want and shit in a toilet.

My unfinished journal is a perfect representation of how I approach things both at work and in my personal life: with gusto in the beginning and a very obvious loss of steam halfway through.

Over time, the stress and panic I would feel in these situations dissipated. They stopped as soon as I realized what I needed to get done would get done even if I stayed relaxed.

The older I got, the less I gave in to professional conformity. That’s when I started to take notice of how the job was servicing me and not vice versa. Sure, this job pays well, but do I want to come in on Mondays? My mental well-being took precedence, and my freedom to be myself was the new priority.

What I felt was similar to how in one of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, Peter Parker lets Venom take over his body and becomes drunk with the power he feels. It becomes an all-consuming change in his demeanor, his appearance, and his overall attitude. I’m Peter Parker, and the perks I get from my job are Venom. I don’t remember the movie, but I’m sure it turned out great for Peter.

There were times when I was younger when I would lose sleep over letting something fall through the cracks or failing to complete a task properly. But then I grew up. I realized adults make mistakes, and as long as we acknowledge them and move on, then I don’t know where the harm lies. So now I don’t stress. I breathe, I set boundaries, and I just live my life. You might be thinking, “Sona, it’s a really good thing you’re not a surgeon or a pilot.” And you are right. People would die.