El Presidente

It appears that throughout my life I have quickly been identified and chosen as a leader.

I was often chosen to lead the class in some kind of routine, or be the class president, or whatever.

I ran for and was elected to be school president in elementary school in fifth grade. It got boring so I didn’t run for second semester.

Throughout school whenever there’s been a group discussion or presentation, it’s always been me doing the delegating and speaking for everyone else. Not because I necessarily volunteered or stepped up, but because the others have either directly or indirectly appointed me to do so.

All of this has never been due to my being overbearing or a know-it-all. I was not and am not always the person with her hand up because she knew every single answer. It was more like, when I did say something, it was worth listening to.

I’m not sure what the deal is lately, even in my mid-twenties. I don’t know how I always get picked out for these things. I try to blend in and stay in the background. It doesn’t work. I am attentive, and I am responsible. And apparently everyone sees this.

Within weeks of being in my new ward, I was called to be a visiting teaching supervisor. Things are a little dysfunctional currently, so of course I took the initiative and contacted my superiors to figure out who I was in charge of. In my last ward, my calling was visiting teaching coordinator. And in the ward before that, I was visiting teaching supervisor as well. I suppose it’s forever in the cards for me to have a leadership position in visiting teaching.

Toward the end of last school year, I and three other teachers were somehow nominated to be on the building committee, which basically is just a representative group of teachers who speak for the rest as far as their concerns in the school, meeting with the principal on a monthly basis.

In the first week of this new school year, the principal asked me to be a co-chair of one of three school committees. I talked about that in my last post.

I signed up for an institute class (church class) on Wednesday nights. Class had gone fine, and the few class members there had offered up just as many, if not more comments than I had to contribute. I wasn’t putting myself out there as more outspoken or involved than anyone else. But after the second night of class, my teacher stopped me on my way out and asked me if I would be class president. Taken aback by the request and confused as to my responsibilities, I stuttered a response mixed with questions and acceptance. I came home and immediately made a sign-up list for the scripture and thought as well as the refreshments. I took on the responsibility of scripture/thought and refreshments for my first week as president. I even played the piano in class and had to ask others to give the prayers. Go, president.

So now I am a leader at work, at church, and at church school. I wonder what other responsibilities I will accept to make my life even more challenging. Because on top of my leadership positions at work and church and institute, I also am now required to write ten articles per week for my side job, which takes longer than one might think. And I spend 30-60 minutes at the gym every day after work. I’m just feeling like if it’s not one thing keeping me busy, other things will find me.

Can’t wait to be a wife and mom someday to see if I ever have time to sleep or shower! Boo.