It's a new month and gosh darn it, doesn't it feel like it? The days are getting longer and the air is filled with a strange haze (oh wait, that's pollution trapped by an air inversion). Things are looking up. It's no secret that school has had me down lately but in the spirit of a new month and one seriously awesome pep talk, I've decided to focus some positive energy in the direction of some awesome extra-curricular activities that I've got going on.
What might these super awesome things be, you might ask? And how am I managing to fit them into a schedule that barely accounts for 8 hours of shut-eye? The first question I can answer. The second - not so much. As my friend Laura says, "minor detail, minor detail". Here's what I'm doing to create a bit of awesome in the world:
1. Volunteering
I've sat as a board member for Habitat for Humanity Camrose for just over a year now and it has been an awesome experience. I've stayed on the board for now even though I've relocated to Edmonton because I want to honor my commitment to them but also because I've also met some really great people and am gaining some fantastic life experience. It's because of this positive experience that I didn't hesitate when I was asked to join the board of interVivos.
So now I've got two board meetings a month plus a committee meeting for interVivos. Scheduling is going to be tight but I'm really excited to get involved in something fun now that I'm back in Edmonton. To me, it's part of being a citizen and not just a body on the census tally.
2. Git'n'er done!
When I decided to go back to school, I realized I was really interested in becoming my own boss. I will admit that I like calling the shots and eventually, I'd really like to have my own communications agency. It's funny to me that throughout the entirety of my business degree, I wasn't remotely interested in entrepreneurship. It was like they wanted to give me the tools but the message was always about how to be a cog in the giant machine of someone else's company.
So here's the thing, why should I wait until I'm done school? I have skills that I can use now! Last summer I helped the Camrose Family Violence Action Society do a communications strategy, I've got strategic planning experience, and today in my strategic communication planning course, I realized that I'd done it all by the book without knowing what the book said. Huzzah! I've decided to get this freelance show on the road and I've already got my first client all lined up.
3. Summer of the Nerds!
This one's a doozie. I was a little afraid of how my dad was going to take this one but he was surprisingly cool. How about instead of working full-time this summer, I take my research project from last term and turn it into a full blow study? Are you nerding out the way I am just thinking about it? Okay, maybe you aren't but trust me, this is pretty cool stuff. I might get to study Twitter all summer! My little research project was a content analysis of Twitter trending topics to see if political topics trend more frequently in Canada than the U.S. and my results said yes. It was only a week's worth of data but my professor is helping me apply for research funding so we can expand the project. I'm pushing up my nerd glasses as I type. Eeeeek!
So I think it's safe to say I've kicked my funk. I'm still can't seem to keep my sassy mouth shut in class but what can I say, I'm a work in progress.
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