I recall I was still in university when I applied for a job and got it! It was for the Management Department at the same university and the job itself didn’t scare me but one of the parts of the job did.
There were two of us who worked this job. My colleague was a beautiful blonde and she was a seasoned veteran or rather a pro at what she did. I, on the other hand, was shy, an introvert and hated attention of any kind. Our job was to welcome 30 or more top-level managers to the university and lead them through a week of training. This involved meeting them at the hotel lobby when they arrived, mingling at reception and taking them out to dinner at some of the nicest restaurants in town. A dream job? Some may think so but I was young and inexperienced and not ready to spread my wings. I could handle the reception and hosting the dinner part. My problem was the public speaking gig that was part and parcel of the job.
I was so out of my league and I just couldn’t get up on stage, step up to the podium and do my welcome speech. Imagine this if you had 30 or 40 top guns in the industry staring back at you from the auditiorium! I did everything I was told to do and I even imagined them in their underwear but it didn’t help. I waited in the wings feeling like I was about to have a heart attack before my boss introduced me and left me on stage to do my bit alone.
It was excruciating but the minute I opened my mouth and started speaking, the nervousness settled down and according to my boss, I had done a marvelous job with the speech. I didn’t think so. That job made me feel so out of place but it was a good learning experience for later on. Sometimes the things we dread and make us feel out of place are the very things that help to catapult us to a better place in life. I changed jobs as soon as I could but I got better and more confident as I went along. Where did I go next? That is for another time.
There were many instances in my life where I felt out of place but that experience stands out like a sore thumb for more reasons than one!
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