Day 23 – Expanding my Advocate Inventory
Today I am challenged with identifying who I can reach out for help with (and who may unintentionally hinder) my plans to achieve the goals I set for myself over the past two days.
This is a tricky challenge because I think many people can fit in either category depending on how I present my requests for support and how I describe my goals. I have friends and family members who hear me talk about my big plans with great fervor and their reactions display to me that they might be a little intimidated.
An example of this is when I ran as a candidate for my local school board in 2021. It’s not on my list because I only ever had a half-cocked concept about what it’s like to run for office during government class in high school and didn’t expect to pursue a career (paid or unpaid) in public office.
When I decided to file my intent to run, my son and my spouse gave me their blessing and did everything they could to help me make my dream a reality. This included knocking on doors, calling & texting with constituents, helping me put together materials for events and showing up for me when I didn’t win the campaign and needed some extra love.
I have a friend group whose political views don’t always align with mine, yet we’re still able to maintain our friendships, because we respect each other, and they understand my non-negotiables. I extend unequivocal support to BIPOC individuals (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), differently abled individuals, and LGBTQIA+ individuals in our community, state, and nation.
My friends may have been a little more reserved in their support, but they still found meaningful ways to show up for me when I was a political candidate. They proudly displayed my yard sign in their yards, attended my events, and wholeheartedly engaged in listening to my passionate, unending, progressive discourse.
I am aware that I possess a level of energy that is difficult for others to match. I find gladness in the little things. The little things are the big things to me. I’d be remiss not to mention that I still have moments of negative energy; my lows are low, they just last for a much shorter period than my highs.
Something I learned from participating in a local election as a candidate running for public office is that I must follow my inner compass, regardless of when others say I’m too much. It is okay to be too much for some people, as long as I continue to be true to myself.
While working on my current goal, writing and indie publishing a fully edited book, I have added to my advocate inventory a community of individuals who are also passionate about writing. I will continue to pursue feedback from my friend group, but I now understand that it is okay to seek out feedback of those who are existing industry professionals.
Stock image provided by Unsplash.
