Entering into a new endeavor, whether it’s a new class, office, semester, or chapter in your life, can be both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. When I was appointed to the position of District VPM, I experienced that exhilaration of embarking on a new journey while being scared out of my mind. Below are the steps that I took to make myself more confident in the new position.
Breathe and Have Faith in yourself
This is the first step and one that needs to be repeated every step of the way. Maybe you just got your syllabus for a new class and you see that you have a paper due every week AND 5 million pages of reading every week. First step is to BREATHE!
Getting yourself worked up over all the work that is to come won’t accomplish anything. Instead breathe and think to yourself that you WILL and CAN do this. Having some faith in yourself will make even the toughest jobs easier to tackle. Sounds cheesy but you absolutely can do anything that you set your mind to if you breathe and have a little self-confidence.
State Goals, Make Action Plans, and Set Deadlines
Part of what makes new positions or project so scary is when they have multiple parts and jobs within it. Maybe it’s a new semester long service project that your chapter is trying out and you are in charge. It’s important to write down the goals, which you hope to accomplish. For example, by the end of this semester we will have a full inventory of the uniforms, have them all the pants hemmed, and they will all have labels with their specific number sewed into them. These goals should be attainable and succinct. Once you have your goals stated then you should make a plan on how you will attain them. This action plan should contain the specific steps that you will take to make the goal a reality. The action plan can have deadlines that you set for yourself. A helpful trick that I have found is letting other people know your personal deadlines that way you are held more accountable for when you have to get things done by.
Just do it.
Nike said it best, Just do it. No amount of planning or thinking or deadline thinking can replace the action of sitting down and doing work. Sometimes you have to say to yourself, ‘sit down and work until you accomplish X, Y, and Z.’ Other times it’s more effective to say, ‘I’m going to do this paper for an hour and then take a break.’ Whichever method works for you, use it and just get it done.
Don’t Get Discouraged and Ask for Help
Sometimes we stumble. I know personally there are a slew of deadlines I didn’t meet or tasks I just didn’t do but the key I tell myself is to not get bogged down in these ‘failures.’ I try to use them to propel myself forward. In addition, asking for help before you are struggling is a proactive way to head off that terrible feeling of drowning in work. One of the best parts of being part of TBS or KKY is that we join into a support system of people who can pick you up when you are down or encourage you when you need it. The support is there, all you have to do is turn to someone and say, “I need help.”
Celebrate the Small Successes and the Big Accomplishments
This is the fun step. Whenever you accomplish something, whether it’s an hour of work or the project is completed or your term of office is done, CELEBRATE! This could mean eating a chocolate bar, treating yourself to dinner, or dancing around your room for three minutes. Whatever your method of celebrating is, make sure you do it. You earned it, you accomplished it, and it’s worth celebrating.
These are just some of the steps and ideas that I have tried to apply in my own life. Sometimes they all work awesome, other times I only use one or a few of these steps. The key to embarking in any kind of new project or experience is keeping an open mind and knowing that you can do it no matter how daunting it may seem.
Emily Anstey
TBS NED Vice President of Membership 2012-13
