JAM.07 - Out of my shell.

Yesterday I joined the 2013 board for a group at work that is organized to help young employees connect, network, and advance their careers. I've been serving on the board of another group (geared toward women in the workplace) for two years as their communications chair, but since two years is the max you can serve in one position (and I have no desire to fill any of the other open positions for next year), I figured I would branch out and step into a new group.

This is pretty huge for me. I've been getting a lot more confident in myself and my personality over the last couple of years, but I still tend to feel like the "uncool" kid among people my age. That's why I have never joined this group in the four years I've been at this job. I attend a lot of the events they put on, but I have always kinda kept to the sidelines.

So, not only have I taken a bold step in joining the board, but the position I volunteered for? Social planning. Meaning, all the networking events, happy hours, team-building, and the end-of-year party (which is a BIG deal). It's funny: I actually went to the info meeting expecting to sign up to be the communications lead, since that is where I'm comfortable and have pretty solid skills. But when they asked who was interested in filling that spot, I just didn't move. And then the best thing happened -- Amy raised her hand! And I'll still get to help out with communications-related stuff because each general area has a team of people working together. So I'm on Team Amy for communications, and Amy and a few other cool people are on Team Tabitha for social butterflying!

Anyway, I am concurrently nervous and ecstatic about this decision. I don't want to suck at it or drop the ball, but I also don't want to let fear get in the way of sharing my ideas and helping to grow the group next year.

Today, I'm finding joy in the fact that I am becoming the outgoing, friendly, confident person that has always been within me, but whom I had previously buried deep underneath layers upon layers of fear and anxiety. No more of that! I'm totally one of the cool kids now. (Okay, I'm still a total nerd. But nerds are the new cool!)

Side note: Another reason I was compelled to join this group is that I'm working on finding more joy in my job, rather than spending 40 hours a week wishing I was somewhere else. I think committing to a leadership role in this group will help me seek out opportunities to connect with my co-workers, and it'll give me something to look forward to even if I'm feeling apathetic toward my actual job duties. (But I'm working on enjoying those more, too. I'll save that for another post.)

Day seven of NaBloPoMo: check!