Choosing to Shine Amidst a Crisis at Work

I was SO lucky to get this job straight out of college. It's at an amazing and world-renowned zoo (and non-profit), the staff are fun to work with, and the perks of the job (feeding elephants?!) are unlike any other. Once I finally got my feet planted any established myself amongst my peers, I started working on 2 major projects: a brand-spanking-new discounted student membership program and a total re-design of the corporate membership program. However, all of this was put on hold before I could really nail down the details.

I've been doing customer service for months and it's been difficult, to say the least. I'm not cut out for customer service. I do not have patience for answering the same questions over and over and over again. I don't like it that I have to return 40+ voicemails and emails a day from angry members. Long story short, it's tried my patience. Since I don't have time to do my actual job at work, I've been logging work hours on the weekends. I usually bus it up to Ladro on Upper Queen Anne and work on the student membership or corporate membership program, in the hopes that they will both be ready for launching in a few months.

Have you ever been in a situation where you've had an expectation for your job and because of some twist of fate (or a broken down database) you've ended up having to do something completely different? How long do you stick it out before you start looking for something else?

I was getting especially frustrated and confused, so I e-mailed my good friend and mentor Margo Myers to see if she would come meet me for coffee and advice. She graciously agreed and joined me at work for a much-needed chat. She gave me some great advice about the things that I can do to build up my resume while I'm waiting for this crisis to blow over, so that I'll be ready if a better position opens up. She made me realize that even though I don't like where I'm at in this moment, it's not the right time to change jobs and that I can make the best of the situation by making myself shine.

For now, I'm choosing to shine. I'm treating every member's question like it's the first time I've heard it. I'm making it a personal challenge to clear the voicemail mailbox by the end of each day, and I reward myself when I do. I devote a couple hours on Saturday and Sunday to working on my student membership program and corporate membership re-design. Oh, and I do all the other "regular duties" like overseeing all our acquisition/lapsed/renewal mailings. Not to mention volunteering for other Devo (Development) events so that everyone knows how dedicated I am to our team. (Plus, the goal is to move over to the Wild at Heart team and work with the major donors. Volunteering for their events is a great way to start networking with them now!)

I'll conclude with one of my very favorite quotes.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson

2010's Top Movers and Shakers

Here is my list of 2010's top movers and shakers! (Or 2010's coolest people.)

1. Michelle Millman

I have volunteered with the Puget Sound affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure for many years. A year ago, they came to Seattle University, where I was a senior, to have a booth at the breast cancer awareness women's basketball game. That's where I was introduced to Michelle Millman.

Michelle's day job is being an anchor and reporter for KIRO 7 Eyewitness News here in Seattle. By night, she puts on her sparkly pink cape and fights breast cancer. From the first time we met, I knew that she was a fighter.

I have heard many stories of women battling this disease, but I found Michelle's particularly interesting, as it was her job to be on television in front of millions of people. (Yup, you have MILLIONS of fans, Michelle!) I have had the honor of watching Michelle (both on television, over twitter, and the occasional in-person chat) as she has rocked radiation, conquered chemo, and mastered a double mastectomy!

She's been back on television for a while now, rocking the cutest short hair I've ever seen!

2. Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker

Nancy Goodman Brinker is the Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. An excerpt from her biography on the Komen website:

In 2010, Brinker released her New York Times best-selling memoir Promise Me, an inspirational story of her transformation from bereaved sister to the undisputed leader of the ongoing international movement to end brease cancer. She was named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2008. From 2001-2003, she served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Hungary and most recently served as U.S. Chief of Protocol from 2007-2009 where she was responsible for overseeing all protocol matters for visiting heads of state and presidential travel abroad. In 2008, President George W. Bush appointed her to The Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.

She has received numerous accolades for her work, including the prestigious Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service, the Trumpet Foundation’s President’s Award, the Independent Women’s Forum Barbara K. Olson Woman of Valor Award, the Champions of Excellence Award presented by the Centers for Disease Control, the Porter Prize presented by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, the Forbes Trailblazer Award, Ladies Home Journal's 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century andBiography Magazine's 25 Most Powerful Women in America.

As a soon-to-be 7-time participant in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure event, Ambassador Brinker is a true inspiration to me. I am very involved with the Puget Sound affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and I am very blessed to have had the staff there give me a copy of Ambassador Brinker's book, Promise Me. She even personalized it and signed it for me!

To be continued...