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What the future looks like: Marcell Vanarsdale ’18 at Cutco Cutlery & Vector Marketing

Over the past two years I have been very uncertain about what I want do with my life. A part of me wants to live life that is centered around travelling the world in order to gain some form of enlightenment with what it means to be a human in this unique world. Another part of me wants to have security and stability, something that will ensure that drastic changes in comfortability will be low in probability. However, another side of me wants to gain a sense of importance, such as being famous or recognized for something. I honestly don’t know!

Some days I feel like my calling is to dig deep into social problems and other times I think I would be better off living in solitude. However, the undeniable fact is that I love people. I don’t always trust them but I am fascinated with them. More specifically, I’m interested in why people do what they do. My co-op allows me to dive into some of the reasoning behind why people fear failure/success, shy away from attention, become overwhelmed with anticipation or simply lack motivation. Based on my interest of people, I know that my life’s work will center around them.

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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After 2 years of plunging through goal after goal, I have come to a point in this company where my experience has met a special opportunity. In my new role as Branch Manager, I am the ceo of Me,Myself and I incorporated. Working at my highest level of efficiency will be a clear indicator of how well I do. With this role I have the responsibility of operating my own branch office with a team of receptionists and assistant managers. Our goal is to recruit 30- 60 individuals to do $200,000 in the business within three months. As the branch manager, I will interview, hire and train my representatives to realize their true potential and help them grow professionally, personally and emotionally. In my company we always talk about how the only things you can control in this life is your attitude and effort. I remember how when I first started, certainty was my biggest challenge. As a brand new sales rep, my manager had to dial the phone for me to actually talk to my customers. During my appointment demonstrations, I would ask for the order in a very unconfident way. I had such a desire to please people, that I had a difficult time putting people in a position of unwanted participation. After my first few weeks of timidity, by manager asked a very simple question that changed my life. He said, “ Marcell, do you think this is going to be the hardest thing you will have to do in life?” It was when he put my problem in perspective to where i could translate  my problem into an area of opportunity, that put me into a growth mindset. When looking back on my formative moments. I can honestly say that my current success is owed to my learned ability to change perspectives and ask the simple question, “ Will this be the hardest thing I will have to do in life.” Each step in this company has put me into a position of growth. On my last co-op as an Assistant Manager, I learned how to work with individuals achieve their goals despite the adversities they faced. This skill has helped me find solutions to problems that I would have originally given up on. Now, as a Branch Manager I’m putting all of the pieces together. I have learned the art of patience with people. I now have the ability to finish outcomes, efficiently, by the day. I don’t have to rely on extended breaks and long hours of sleep to be productive and focus. I am excelling at managing people’s emotions. Lastly, I love what I do. I am creating something that appreciates and making an impact on a very personal level with many people.</span></p>

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