I Don’t Guess Anymore

I got fired from a job in my early twenties, and at the time I didn’t fully understand why. I wasn’t lazy, and I showed up ready to work, but I didn’t understand my rights or my responsibilities. I walked into that job assuming I would be trained the right way and that my supervisors and coworkers would show me what I needed to know. I waited for direction instead of asking for it. I paid attention to what others were doing and tried to follow along, thinking that was enough. It wasn’t.

Looking back now, I can see it clearly. I moved in assumption instead of understanding. I relied on people instead of making sure I had what I needed for myself. There is a difference between being present and being prepared, and I was present, but I was not prepared.

What I know now is that clarity is something you have to go after. You cannot sit back and wait for someone to explain everything to you. If you don’t know something, you have to ask. If you don’t understand, you have to speak up. That does not make you difficult, it makes you responsible. There is a quiet confidence that comes with seeking understanding, and over time I’ve learned that confusion will always cost you more than asking ever will. The truth is, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), and that shows up in everyday life more than we realize.

I also didn’t understand the importance of documentation back then. I wasn’t writing anything down. I wasn’t keeping track of conversations, instructions, or corrections. I didn’t document names, dates, or times, and I didn’t take notes in meetings. I trusted what was said in the moment and assumed it would hold. What I have learned since then is that your memory is not your protection, your documentation is. Wisdom will have you write things down. It will have you pay attention. It will have you move in a way that covers you, even when no one else is thinking about it.

There is real power in knowing your scope of work. Not what someone casually tells you, not what you pick up from watching others, but what is actually required according to policy and procedure. Every workplace has people doing things their own way, and not every way is correct. Some things are done out of habit, some out of convenience, and some are not ethical at all. If you are not grounded in what your role truly is, you can easily find yourself doing things that were never your responsibility and being held accountable for them anyway. Discernment matters in these spaces. Everything that looks normal is not right.

And let me be honest about something else I had to learn. Co-workers and even supervisors will throw you under the bus to protect themselves and to protect that company. Not always, but enough that you need to be aware. People will stay quiet when something is wrong because they are trying to keep their job. Many will not speak the truth if it costs them something. That is the reality of some workplaces.

That is why your responsibility is clear. You do your job, and part of doing your job is protecting yourself. You ask questions. You get clarity. You document what matters. You make sure you understand your role before you move in it. You do not rely on assumptions, and you do not depend on other people to cover you.

I learned that lesson the hard way, but I carry it differently now. I don’t walk into rooms blindly anymore. I walk in aware. I walk in prepared. I walk in covered. I move with the understanding that clarity does more than help you perform well, it protects you.

Some lessons God will let you learn the hard way, not to harm you, but to sharpen you. That experience didn’t break me. It built a level of awareness in me that I carry into every space now.