I Love my Job Because...(Part II)

To the members of Mile Hi

Mile Hi Optimist Club is full of amazing, loving, successful, and selfless people who have given decades of their lives to help the community, without asking for anything in return.

I have been a part of the club for three years, and I have made a small error in judgment. I have worked in silence, benefiting from the Mile Hi Club, and kept my gratitude to myself. Maybe I was afraid to come on too strong and scare away my fellow members, but now I am ready to say it.

I LOVE being in the Mile Hi Optimist Club, I LOVE all the members, and I LOVE Optimist International.

I am prepared to go from silent gratitude to real gratitude! To the members of Mile Hi optimist, thank you and I love each of you. Each individual in the Mile Hi club is amazing, and I am so grateful to have all of you in my life.

I first met all of the members of the club as a young entrepreneur, I was hungry and had idealistic views on how to change the world. Since then, my club has empowered me with resources, opportunities, and gave me the ability to begin to actually make the world a better place, starting with our community.

By knowing and working with my club I became aware of how important our work is in the community. I have always dreamed of helping create positive events, fundraising, and making a difference in my local community.

I have realized that for myself, it is not just the volunteering, the yummy food, and the ability to make a positive impact that makes being an optimist the best.

What being an optimist is all about and what benefitted me most, is having people you respect, look up to, and even find pleasant, show up with you and for you consistently.

When this happens, of course, you get motivated and inspired, but more importantly, you become someone who motivates and inspires other people.

I have seen this cycle work for people older than me, I have seen it work for me and I have seen it work for our JOI students.

When good people show up for you or with you consistently, the truth of who you truly are and what you can accomplish becomes clear.

I can explain my situation with the Mile Hi Optimist, so you can understand how this cycle, plays out in real life.

I have not told the members of the club enough, but I believe they are spectacular, and I look up to each of them. This respect, this admiration, makes it clear to me that their time is valuable. The more the members show up and give me their valuable time and energy, the more confident I become that I am valuable.

When I feel confident and when I feel valuable, I can do more and be a much better leader. This confidence makes me able to motivate and inspire others.

That is what Mile Hi Club has done for me and that is what I strive to do for all the youth in our JOI clubs.

The members in my club are older than me and more accomplished than me in certain areas. When I showed up as a Mile Hi optimist I did not have to prove my value or earn these great members time and energy, they just gave it to me lovingly.

They made me feel worthy, valuable, and accepted as I was, and did not make me earn or deserve their love.

Now when it is my turn to facilitate a JOI club or give support to the community, I always remember to make them feel worthy and accepted as they are.

The individuals in my club are good people, they showed up with me and for me consistently, and that taught me how to show up consistently for our community. The truth is, ALL people are worthy, ALL people are valuable, and ALL people can become great leaders.