Almost inevitably, most high goal achievers have the same initial feelings of discontented eagerness I recently read in an article that seems to sum up that transition from college to career just perfectly. LinkedIn Influencer author and former reporter Ann Handley nails it in her article about being eager but measured The Things I Thought I Knew at 22 That Turned Out to Be Totally Wrong. If I were to look back at my first stories I thought were great and know now they were not, I can understand why news stations I thought should have hired me, did not. Knowing what I know now, I can empathize with Ann Handley and chuckle those feelings of discontent I felt as an intern.
But even now, as the Communications Department at Meridian Township continues to strive to provide better communications to its residents, and we look to expanded services, as the Communications Director for Meridian Township, I have to check that. Some days, those eager discontent feelings creep in.Thanks to tor Ann Handley for this article.
How I check eager discontent when it creeps in:
I remember my first stand up, I looked like Vanna White presenting the new board to contestants. I’ve come a long way and I have so much further to go. I’m content with that knowledge trying to continually improve to deliver the best information of importance to our residents.
In 1996 as an intern, I thought I looked confident on air and now realize confidence comes with time. When you start off as a reporter, you worry so much about how you come across and your delivery style. Later, you realize delivery is in the importance of the message and conveying it in a way everyone can understand. You lose that worry.
When feeling eagerly discontent about where the Communications Department goes from here, I check myself and look back at how much HOMTV has blossomed into the Communications Department, and the depth of services provided that were not there before. I look at current projects that will benefit residents.
When feeling we could do so much more, I check myself and remember we are doing so much more and with the same number of staff we’ve had since 1992. Its really a miracle if you think of this History of HOMTV.
Success of others. Each year, the Communications Department’s HOMTV Internship program trains 30-40 multimedia professionals. Witnessing the interns hard work and dedication, growth, and celebrating their success is one of the most satisfying and grounding feelings of content. This semester alone, we celebrated so many interns become Successful alums. Read about it here.
So as we continue to strive as professionals in whatever industry we may be in, remember where you were and how far you’ve come. The things we know after years of experience foster our ability to become mentors. Happy success!