In a previous life, when I studied medieval literature, I read a lot of poetry with allegorical figures – personifications of concepts like Reason, or Conscience, or Childishness. One sticks in my mind: “Opportunity.” Opportunity had a long tail of hair that only grew on the back of her head, and you had to grab onto it quickly before she passed you by.
The day before the NextGenRadio deadline, even though I was incredibly excited about the chance to participate, I had almost talked myself out of applying. A voice in my head was saying, “They aren’t going to pick you.” But instead of trusting that voice, I decided that I would represent myself as authentically as possible in my application, and that I would leave it up to the selection committee whether to choose me or not. I’m so glad I did.
Time is limited, whether you’re craning a mic to try to capture audio of a specific moment, writing so quickly you can’t second-guess yourself to meet a deadline, or pacing around the floor, rehearsing the words you need to say on camera in the next ten minutes. I’m proud of what I managed to accomplish this week. I’ve done more than I even thought I could, thanks to the help of so many hardworking and experienced reporters, editors and engineers on the NextGen team, and the openness and generosity of my subject.
You can’t take every opportunity. But when one shows up that both excites and scares you, that may be a sign to push past your anxiety, and reach out your hand and take it.