Being the shy and timid person that I am, I find it difficult sometimes to communicate with others. I feel intimidated and self-conscious about what I have to say. Yesterday I was forced to confront that fear. My fellow interns and I were told to participate in phone banking where we had to reach out to members of the community and encourage them to call their district representatives and tell them to vote yes on the bill that called for action to preserve and maintain Armenian Christian churches in present day Turkey in their original form.   Although skeptical of whether or not  I could get the task done , I finally convinced myself to give it a try.

I was sure I couldn’t do it because of my irrational fear but I reassured myself by remembering that I could not see the people I was talking to. The first number I called resulted in me hearing that the number had been disconnected.  Strangely enough, it caused me to gain the confidence to progress onto the second number on the list. The second number I called connected me to a person that did not want to hear what I had to say.  After a few more phone calls resulting in hang-ups and “No”s, I started to develop a sense of immunity and resilience to the negative reactions.  When I encountered my first “Yes” response I felt immense joy.

It was then that I realized the importance of confidence when it comes to succeeding in life.  It’s not something you can fake. You have to truly believe in yourself to be confident.  I hope this mindset will help me to accomplish my goals in the future.