I’ve been asked many times already why I decided to run for city council. A legitimate question, of course, but one I seem to have trouble answering. A conversation I had recently helped me realize the true answer so I’m sharing it in case it helps you.
It’s true I have had an interest in politics since high school. Also true that I went on a rotary trip to Parliament Hill and worked as a Page in the NB legislature under Frank McKenna.
I majored in sociology and political science at St. Thomas University before I studied public relations at MSVU here in Halifax.
Somewhere along the way my confidence eroded. I was not the confident, outgoing, and outspoken person I am today. I let the bullies get to me. I believed I wasn’t smart enough. I believed my ideas weren’t valid. I believed I was missing SOMETHING. I was scared of what could happen if I put myself in the public spotlight as a politician…because I see what happens online…heck…I’ve participated in the criticism and negativity towards politicians and leaders myself.
2014 was a pivotal year for me. It was the year I rediscovered myself and my confidence. I divorced, found a soulmate, weathered the loss of major business clients, rebuilt Twirp to have some of the best years ever. In the following years I spoke on many stages, started an industry conference that is now a must-attend, survived my second major Depressive episode, rebuilt my business again and became known as the Anti-Hero Social Media Strategist.
While I do occasionally still struggle with the fear of harsh criticism, the last 10 years have shown me just how resilient I am. I have survived 100% of the bad things that happened to me so far. I will continue to survive what comes.
So when I began to feel called to run for office I had to decide if I could live with this occasional fear of being judged harshly for my opinions and decisions. Obviously, I decided I could.
All of that to say the true reason I’m running for council is that I feel a calling to do so. I’ve built a business based on service to the community. In my case, the small business community. Twirp has always been about helping businesses succeed through social media and Social Media Day Halifax was started as a “service project” for that community. My blog and podcasts were always about how I could further help that community BE more.
Service is a calling. I’ve been afraid to say I felt this way about running because it feels very nebulous and woo-woo, but it’s true. As much as I have a platform based on transportation, housing and community, I simply want to serve the community to the best of my ability. I want to BE more.
So bullies and uninformed critics be damned. I’m running, and I’m confident I can do a good job of both advocating for the community of Bedford and building a city we can all be proud of.
My calling is to help us all be more.
