Facing a Fear

My hands begin to sweat, and my heart begins to race. It picks up so quickly that it is feels as though it is going to explode from my chest! The further along I go, the worse it becomes. This is me in front of a crowd. Nervous. Just thinking about it gets me worked up. I'm going to share a secret: For as long as I can remember, I have avoided public speaking *gasp*. For me, it's a big deal. And, I'm really tired of "it" being a big deal, too. I want that to change.

Some of you may remember me mentioning that Cody and I joined PACT. This conservation group is the local chapter of the NC Wildlife Federation. When I became a member, I also took on the responsibility of Newsletter & Media Chair since they had open positions. I wanted to help.
This was my first time doing a newsletter, but I was willing t to learn.

Erin (The President) gave me full creative control, which just made the task even more daunting. But, I managed to come up with some ideas after scratching around on the internet. For the record, the term "scratching around" equates to hours and hours!! I've become a lot more comfortable with creating these sorts of things in the past few months.

"So...what does this have to do with public speaking?"

Well, Christopher North, the Conservation Director at the NC Wildlife Federation, asked if I would give a little talk about the newsletter I do for PACT at a Leadership Training Summit this weekend in Charlotte. Other local chapters will take part, too. It sounds a lot bigger than it really is. Anyway, my first instinct when I read his request email was, HECK NA!! followed by, I CAAAN'T DO THAT!! Then, I decided not to respond immediately with my usual gut reaction. Instead, I gave myself a little time.

I am choosing to thrust myself OUT of my comfort zone! For real. I'm freaking out!
I need encouragement. And LOTS of it.
Wish me luck!

Newsletter Samples
*The PACT logo was NOT created by me.

Current Project: Newsletter for PACT

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Here is a sneak peak of the newsletter I am working on for PACT. I'm only sharing the second page since I am not completely done with it and because it's only fair that I distribute it to the group before showing everyone else. Recognize those photos? If not, maybe you missed the post I did on the bluebird box building event.

PACT is an organization here in the High Country that I have become involved with just recently.Upon joining, I had a desire to have an actual role within the group, so I signed up to be a board member as the communication & media chair. Although PACT is still in the growing stages and remains somewhat small, I think that once established, it will become so much more.

Our next project is to adopt and develop a wetland on the Greenway Trail which is right near our home. I am definitely looking forward to participating in that effort by taking photos AND getting my hands dirty!

Posted in Wordful Wednesday