A Second Year in Review.
It's not about having the time... It's about making the time.
Entering my second year at the University of Cincinnati, I was under the impression that my experience would be much like that of my first, with the addition that I would finally have a handle on my extracurricular responsibilities, job, schoolwork, and social life. My first year consisted of countless new learning experiences, and it was a year focused on navigating UC, finding my place, and diving in head first. I continued this pattern into my second year, taking on more leadership positions, job opportunities, and attending more campus events. What I then discovered was that I may have dove much deeper than I intended to. What I learned however, is that you can dive deeper than you every intended (like I did) and still stay afloat with the right mindset and determination, as well as come out with a better understanding of yourself and your potential moving forward.
Vice President of Alumni Affairs, Director of Impact UC, intern at General Cable Corp, employee of Old Navy, Alumni Relations Chair and Social Director of Chi Omega, part time and full time co-op worker at the Kroger Company, the list goes on and on… and these are just a couple of my formal commitments. Take into account time dedicated to volunteer work, schoolwork, personal responsibilities, one-off commitments and events, and personal or spiritual development, and you have yourself a hefty list of time commitments. Throughout my second year, I kept finding amazing opportunities at UC and in my community that I just HAD to be a part of because they sounded fun and interesting or I felt I could add value through my participation/leadership. Without thinking about it, I was saying yes to responsibilities with time commitments I did not put together until it was too late. For a time, I became an overcommitted, overworked, and sleep deprived full time student who was not enjoying the organizations she was involved in and was unprepared to face the demands for her time and energy. I became a student who attended the mandatory events for her responsibilities but rarely found the time to enjoy the optional events and gatherings of the same organization. Fortunately, a culmination of specific events in these organizations reminded me why I committed my time in the first place, helped me reconnect with the organizations’ or groups’ vision, and changed my mindset to focus less on the time I didn’t have, but the time I did have and the time I can create for myself.
The most significant event that changed my perspective on involvement was the first social event I created and organized for Chi Omega as their Social Director. This event was our Semi-Formal and took place early this spring. It was an event that required months of preparation to plan, research, connect, and create contracts with the venue, food, entertainment, security, transportation, and apparel. Imagine managing all this while keeping the members, executive team and advisory board up to date and happy with my choices for the event. Throughout this entire process there emerged many obstacles, frustrations, and tedious tasks that needed to be addressed and managed in order for the event to run smoothly. It soon became another responsibility on my list of “rather-not-do’s” and made me less inclined or unable to participate in other Chi Omega functions. However once the night finally arrived, it went without a hitch and the members claimed it the best social event they had attended in their entire collegiate carrier. Hearing those positive remarks meant the world to me because I knew that my efforts were not going unappreciated. I had been so worried with pleasing everyone and found myself so caught up in the details and grunt work that I didn’t get the chance to enjoy my Chi Omega experience. After that night, everything changed and I began looking at Chi Omega the way I initially did: an amazing group of motivated collegiate women who strive to live out the symphony and have a positive impact on the university and community. I fell back in love with the people that love me as well, and I found myself reorganizing my time – creating the time – to attend optional events and continue making an impact. This, as you can imagine, prompted me to reconsider my current thoughts on my other involvements and find a way to make the time to enjoy these as well so that I can continue contributing to the vision and purpose rather than scraping by and giving the bare minimum for my leadership requirements.
This is what I realized about myself: I had been so focused in my first and second years to obtain leadership positions because I felt it was an avenue through which I could make meaningful contributions to my organizations and hold myself accountable for participation. What I learned concluding my second year was that it almost had the opposite effect on me – I was putting in little work because my involvement became a series of tasks rather than exciting volunteer opportunities. I had lost the vision, lost my reasons for giving so much of myself to the groups.
I am more than elated to share that these thoughts no longer fill my mind. I have reconnected to the organizations I once dreamed of being a part of, and have rerouted my plan of attack to ensure that I am giving the most of myself to my organizations while also enjoying my time there. I have adopted a new mindset going into the second half of my collegiate career. I believe it is more worthwhile to volunteer my talents and efforts rather than tie myself down with leadership positions and titles. The title doesn’t automatically make me an effective leader, and I can be just as effective and important without it. The title shouldn’t be the only motivator to keep me involved, and it won’t be as long as I relate to the vision. The title doesn’t guarantee fun, and in reality it often gives the grunt work (I missed many fun opportunities due to leadership responsibilities). While I know the hard work comes with the territory, I would be more willing to do that work when I know it is from my own undertaking rather than from a position bestowed on me. In the years to come, my experience this year has given me such a greater appreciation for those that will follow in my footsteps. I hope to have made a difference in my organizations, and I believe I have. And I have made time near the end to enjoy them as well. But in the coming years, I will be sure to make these relationships mutually beneficial, so that the organization and I can continue growing, developing, and making a difference in the world around us.
Entering my second year at the University of Cincinnati, I was under the impression that my experience would be much like that of my first, with the addition that I would finally have a handle on my extracurricular responsibilities, job, schoolwork, and social life. My first year consisted of countless new learning experiences, and it was a year focused on navigating UC, finding my place, and diving in head first. I continued this pattern into my second year, taking on more leadership positions, job opportunities, and attending more campus events. What I then discovered was that I may have dove much deeper than I intended to. What I learned however, is that you can dive deeper than you every intended (like I did) and still stay afloat with the right mindset and determination, as well as come out with a better understanding of yourself and your potential moving forward.
Vice President of Alumni Affairs, Director of Impact UC, intern at General Cable Corp, employee of Old Navy, Alumni Relations Chair and Social Director of Chi Omega, part time and full time co-op worker at the Kroger Company, the list goes on and on… and these are just a couple of my formal commitments. Take into account time dedicated to volunteer work, schoolwork, personal responsibilities, one-off commitments and events, and personal or spiritual development, and you have yourself a hefty list of time commitments. Throughout my second year, I kept finding amazing opportunities at UC and in my community that I just HAD to be a part of because they sounded fun and interesting or I felt I could add value through my participation/leadership. Without thinking about it, I was saying yes to responsibilities with time commitments I did not put together until it was too late. For a time, I became an overcommitted, overworked, and sleep deprived full time student who was not enjoying the organizations she was involved in and was unprepared to face the demands for her time and energy. I became a student who attended the mandatory events for her responsibilities but rarely found the time to enjoy the optional events and gatherings of the same organization. Fortunately, a culmination of specific events in these organizations reminded me why I committed my time in the first place, helped me reconnect with the organizations’ or groups’ vision, and changed my mindset to focus less on the time I didn’t have, but the time I did have and the time I can create for myself.
The most significant event that changed my perspective on involvement was the first social event I created and organized for Chi Omega as their Social Director. This event was our Semi-Formal and took place early this spring. It was an event that required months of preparation to plan, research, connect, and create contracts with the venue, food, entertainment, security, transportation, and apparel. Imagine managing all this while keeping the members, executive team and advisory board up to date and happy with my choices for the event. Throughout this entire process there emerged many obstacles, frustrations, and tedious tasks that needed to be addressed and managed in order for the event to run smoothly. It soon became another responsibility on my list of “rather-not-do’s” and made me less inclined or unable to participate in other Chi Omega functions. However once the night finally arrived, it went without a hitch and the members claimed it the best social event they had attended in their entire collegiate carrier. Hearing those positive remarks meant the world to me because I knew that my efforts were not going unappreciated. I had been so worried with pleasing everyone and found myself so caught up in the details and grunt work that I didn’t get the chance to enjoy my Chi Omega experience. After that night, everything changed and I began looking at Chi Omega the way I initially did: an amazing group of motivated collegiate women who strive to live out the symphony and have a positive impact on the university and community. I fell back in love with the people that love me as well, and I found myself reorganizing my time – creating the time – to attend optional events and continue making an impact. This, as you can imagine, prompted me to reconsider my current thoughts on my other involvements and find a way to make the time to enjoy these as well so that I can continue contributing to the vision and purpose rather than scraping by and giving the bare minimum for my leadership requirements.
This is what I realized about myself: I had been so focused in my first and second years to obtain leadership positions because I felt it was an avenue through which I could make meaningful contributions to my organizations and hold myself accountable for participation. What I learned concluding my second year was that it almost had the opposite effect on me – I was putting in little work because my involvement became a series of tasks rather than exciting volunteer opportunities. I had lost the vision, lost my reasons for giving so much of myself to the groups.
I am more than elated to share that these thoughts no longer fill my mind. I have reconnected to the organizations I once dreamed of being a part of, and have rerouted my plan of attack to ensure that I am giving the most of myself to my organizations while also enjoying my time there. I have adopted a new mindset going into the second half of my collegiate career. I believe it is more worthwhile to volunteer my talents and efforts rather than tie myself down with leadership positions and titles. The title doesn’t automatically make me an effective leader, and I can be just as effective and important without it. The title shouldn’t be the only motivator to keep me involved, and it won’t be as long as I relate to the vision. The title doesn’t guarantee fun, and in reality it often gives the grunt work (I missed many fun opportunities due to leadership responsibilities). While I know the hard work comes with the territory, I would be more willing to do that work when I know it is from my own undertaking rather than from a position bestowed on me. In the years to come, my experience this year has given me such a greater appreciation for those that will follow in my footsteps. I hope to have made a difference in my organizations, and I believe I have. And I have made time near the end to enjoy them as well. But in the coming years, I will be sure to make these relationships mutually beneficial, so that the organization and I can continue growing, developing, and making a difference in the world around us.