The importance of taking a risk

It is a great risk for me to run for the school board. It’s vulnerable. It’s uncomfortable. It’s intimidating. But, it’s worth it. Whether I win or lose, I will grow from this experience and, hopefully, I will empower others also to step out in courage.

Whenever we put our names forward in an election, we are asking people to assess us, to assess our integrity, our competence, our values, our track record, even our personalities. The ultimate assessment will come at the ballot box when people will cast their vote either for me or against me. They believe in me or they don’t. They trust me or they don’t. (There is a myriad of reasons for choosing or not choosing me on election day.)

But even before election day, we give people permission to enter our metaphorical homes as though we’re real estate for people to appraise. We open the door and invite people to inspect us: check out the structural integrity of the building; examine the layout to see if it allows space for your unique furniture (i.e., values and beliefs); peer into our closets, our underwear drawers, our catch-all cabinets; stick your nose into our kids’ bedrooms; scan the books on their shelves—The Art of War, The Republic, The Wealth of Nations, The Holy Bible. They may dredge up past photos which reveal various iterations of the house’s décor: utilitarian vinyl flooring from the 1970s; a print of Picasso’s Les Desmoiselles d’Avignon hanging behind the oval-shaped dining room table; luxurious linens, in hues of pink and grey, adorning a king-sized bed; a crucifix displayed in the kitchen; a potted Devil’s ivy, its vines twisting around the ornate nineteenth century china cabinet.  

For most people, it is a step of courage to run in an election because we are allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. And vulnerability sucks! Brené Brown says “You can’t get to courage without rumbling with vulnerability. Embrace the suck” (Dare to Lead, 9).

So, why am I running for school board when it means that I have to be vulnerable?

1. I am not content to live a comfortable humdrum life, to settle, to stay on the sidelines. I want to be a person who overcomes adversity, who doesn’t give up when the battle grows fierce. By embracing new experiences, by learning about other ways of thinking and being, and by pushing past my perceived limitations, then will I grow.

2. It’s a risk worth taking. Our education system needs strong governance to develop a sustainable plan for delivering quality education for all students, to promote a culture of safety and empowerment for students and staff, and to attract and retain qualified leaders to run the operations.

I am emboldened by witnessing the incredible acts of courage by others. For example, my sister lost a son and her husband in the space of three years; she has fought through the pain and loneliness and disappointment. In fact, all of my sisters have pushed through obstacle after obstacle. And my parents . . . Dad who quit school (maybe in grade 5 or 6) to take care of Grandma and the farm while his father was in the hospital with rheumatoid arthritis and my mom, the thirteenth of fourteen children, who experienced many personal difficulties. They bought their own farm. They raised five children. They kept pushing forward. I have a dear Indigenous friend (N.P.) who experienced intense discrimination and shaming. She walked through that pain. She forgave the bigots. She has embraced her Indigenous identity, has travelled to many nations, and has pursued her artistic dreams to use her talents and education to showcase the beauty of her people. And there are my dear Rwandan friends (C.K., D.K., A.N.) who came to Canada as refugees, who fought off the colonial labels and refused to cower. They are beautiful women who have really helped me to view myself also as a woman of strength and ability. They are so much better than I at shutting out the noise.

Fear is subjective. Some people are terrified of public speaking, yet they can fly a fighter jet into a warzone. I’m fearful to put myself out there, at the mercy of the media and the haters and the cynics and the critics. But, I’m willing to do it because it is good for me to push past fear, to live outside of my comfort zone. And, if I get elected, I will continue to put myself out there for the people in my sub-division.