Running for office - don't count it out!

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I wanted to share my experiences in running for office.

I've run for office two times. Once at a provincial level and once at a municipal level. The first time as the candidate for the pro-Labour party, and the second, as the unofficial candidate for the Conservative Party. (For anyone curious, I am currently a card-carrying Liberal )

I actually made it on to Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?tit ... lvedere.29
though my article was since deleted cause of lack of proper citations.

Anyway, I wanted to address some things I found while doing so.

I'm the type of person who feels extremely crowded in a group of 3. In a social situation, I feel, on the inside, like I want to curl into a ball and go hide in a dark corner. At any kind of social event I feel my heart racing. It's terrible!

But... the one place I never felt that was in politics. Why? I don't know for sure. Perhaps it was the fact that I was somebody. At a party it's like "Who are you" "I'm Teddy" "Oh... okay?" but when you are running for office it's like "Who are you" "I AM THE CANDIDATE *thunder*" "WOW!! ! AMAZING!! !" well not exactly like that but it gives you a position - it makes you somebody. It adds structure to that social situation. You are no longer in a social situation as much as you are leading these other folks around. YOU are the candidate! Not them, they are voters, they are here to talk to you!

I don't know if this makes any sense, but running for office was never difficult for me. I'd encourage more people on the AS to get out there and get involved. We are the ones with the unique ideas that might fix this world!

While I would never in another three lifetimes throw me titfer into the ring, I know the phenomenon to which you refer.

The old scholar me. As a student, as a member of the audience, I am sitting at back of the room, the end of the aisle nearest the door, beside the pillar. Don't ask me to raise my hand.

But when I am the prof - I'm up front, glib, confident, not making eye contact of course but throwing chalk at the cheeky. Because that is not ME - it's the old Perfesser what lives with me.

A solid persona to act as the role demands is a great thing. I could never do it as just myself.

I have run municipally, but since I work in government, I have very little inclination to look at a provincial or a federal run.